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THE 



JOURNALS 



V 

WILLIAM CLOWES, 




^rimt'tttie ifSUtfjoSislt $rearf)tr; 



CONTAINING 



CHRONICLES OF EVENTS RELATIVE TO HIS UNREGENERATE STATE, HIS 
CONVERSION TO GOD, HIS CALL TO THE MINISTRY, THE COMMENCE- 
MENT AND PROGRESS OF THE PRIMITIVE METHODIST CON- 
NEXION, AND TO HIS ITINERANT LABOURS THEREIN 
FROM THE YEAR 1810 TO THAT OF 1838. 



LONDON: 
PUBLISHED BY HALLAM AND HOLLIDAY, 

CONFERENCE OFFICES, 

SUTTON, STREET, COMMERCIAL ROAD, 
st. george's in the east. 

1844. 



(tub library] 
i of c owob bmj 

WASHIMOTOW 



,C5 5^ 



TYLER & REED, 

PRINTERS, 
BOLT-COURT, LONDON. 



ffd 



INTRODUCTION. 



Courteous Reader, 
we been induced to publish the book before you 
by the solicitations of many of my friends, and the 
hope that all who read it may be spiritually benefited. 
I beg that you will read it with candour, as my skill 
in composition is limited ; as I did not write it ori- 
ginally for public but private use, and was hence un- 
careful of the correct spellings of the Christian names 
of persons, and the proper names of places, some of 
which may therefore be incorrectly spelt. As I have 
not had much aid from any of my friends, except Mr. 
J. Davison, now in Scotter circuit, and as the book has 
gone through the press without either my inspection 
or his, and with but slight inspection from any other 
person, I expect you will find many errors, though 
none affecting the facts of the book. I must apologize 
for the pages being headed the " Life of W. Clowes," 
instead of " the Journals," &c, as in the title page, and 
for the use of the third person in the headings of the 
chapters instead of the first, as in the other parts of 
the book. These incongruities were overlooked till 
several sheets had been printed, when it was thought 



IV INTRODUCTION. 

uniformity would justify their continuance in the first 
edition. I shall feel obliged if discoverers of errors will, 
in their book-order letters to the General Stewards, 
enclose corrections on slips of paper to the address of 
the Connexional Editor, who has engaged to furnish 
therefrom errata to such copies of the book as may be 
issued after the supplying of the first orders. That God 
may be the eternal portion of the readers and the writer 
of the following pages is the sincere prayer of 

Yours, in Christian affection, 

WILLIAM CLOWES. 



LIFE 



WILLIAM CLOWES, 



CHAPTER I. 



Birth — Parentage — Death of Parents — Bound apprentice — Youthful 
follies — Becomes addicted to dancing — Marriage — Leaves the 
country — Singular adventures — Arrives at Warrington — Returns 
to Tunstall — Daring impiety at the Market Cross — Goes to Hull, 
in Yorkshire — Continues reckless — Imitates, with companions, the 
press-gang, crosses the Humber, and alarms the town of Barton — 
Fights a battle — Captured by the press-gang — Makes his escape — 
Recaptured, and set at liberty — Leaves Hull, and arrives at 
Tunstall. 

In the town of Burslera, in Staffordshire, on the 12th 
day of March, 1780, I entered on the scene of pro- 
bationary existence. I was the son of Samuel and 
Ann Clowes. My father was by trade a potter, which 
business has long been pursued by a considerable part 
of the population in this district of the county of 
Stafford. 

My mother was a daughter of Mr. Aaron Wedgwood, 
an extensive manufacturer in the pottery department, 
in conjunction with Mr. "William Littlor. In 1750, 
the manufacture of the white stone ware was carried 
to a high state of improvement; and by them after- 

B 



LIFE OF 



wards the first china-ware was made at Longton, near 
Stoke. Messrs. Thomas and John Wedgwood, cousins 
to Mr. Aaron Wedgwood, in 1740, built the largest 
house in Burslem, to which was given the name of the 
"Big House;" they also in that town built the first 
manufactory, which was not covered with thatch. 

My father, in the early part of his life, became pious ; 
but in consequence of reading a pernicious book, and 
yielding to temptation, his heart departed from the 
Lord: and during the remainder of his life, until his 
last illness, excepting at intervals, he was wild and 
dissipated. The illness, however, to which he became 
subject, and which was of a lingering character, allowed 
him opportunity to reflect on the state of his soul, and 
to seek -that salvation which he had lost in the period 
of health and youth. My father's earnestness in seek- 
ing the restoration of God's favour was not in vain ; 
the Lord healed his backslidings, and enabled him, on 
the margin of the grave, to attest that paradise awaited 
the arrival of his immortal spirit. 

My mother was early trained in a regular attendance 
on the services of the Established Church ; her dis- 
position was amiable, and her morals blameless ; but 
she did not understand the way of salvation by faith ; 
however, after my conversion to God, my frequent 
conversations brought her to see this matter in a clear 
light ; and on one occasion, whilst a friend and I were 
praying with her, she obtained the forgiveness of sins 
by faith in Jesus Christ. 

Having, however, to pass through heavy trials, in 
consequence of her family, and particularly through 
the conduct of her husband, my mothers love to God 
grew less fervent ; and that constant and believing prayer, 
which arms the soul with fortitude and true greatness 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 6 

under sorrows however multiplied, was not so fully 
exercised. But notwithstanding the partial declension 
which she experienced of the love of God, she con- 
tinued to the end of her pilgrimage to trust in the 
Lord. Her departure from this world of toil and 
anxiety was sudden ; but it was such as to inspire 
me with a hope of meeting her in heaven, where the 
righteous are 

" Far from a world of grief and sin, 
With God eternally shut in." 

About the fourth year of my age, I was attacked 
with the small-pox, which nearly occasioned my death. 
Six years afterwards, I became an apprentice to my 
uncle, Joseph Wedgwood, whose pottery was near 
Burslem churchyard. In this service, I was taught 
to make small plates, and soon grew expert in my 
new employment. To encourage diligence, the task of 
making twenty-one dozen a day was allotted to me, 
which I performed with ease. Occasionally, however, 
my fondness for youthful diversions drew me into neg- 
ligence ; and my fear of punishment was such, that 
when only part of my work was done, I entered it as 
completed : thus making my uncle the dupe of my 
trickery. After a few years spent in this way, I wished 
to learn that branch of pottery business called turning ; 
accordingly, my uncle Wedgwood's service was aban- 
doned, and I was bound apprentice to Mr. Mear, to 
learn the newly desired employment. In turning, I 
was soon deemed a proficient ; and, for my encourage- 
ment, was paid for all the work extra to that which 
was due to my master. This arrangement placed a 
little money at my disposal, a portion of which was 
spent for some lessons which I had received at a school 
b 2 



4 LIFE OF 

in the neighbourhood. Dancing was placed at the 
head of my amusements, as being the source of my 
highest pleasure. In this practice I constantly strove 
to excel my companions ; and, shortly, I engaged with 
others to dance before the giddy multitude for several 
prizes. When the day of trial came, each performer 
stretched his ablest powers to bear the palm away from 
his competitors. It was to me a day of distinguished 
triumph in the cause of sin and folly ; for those who 
were appointed the judges of our merits declared that 
all the prizes were mine. Pride and vanity now so 
inflated my heart, that I challenged the best dancer in 
England to equal me in my favourite amusement. 
This circumstance occurring, was the cause of my 
falling into bad company that more than ever corrupted 
my life. Associated with dancing, was visiting public 
assembly rooms, where banquetings, gambling, and 
fighting ranked among the sins of my youth. In the 
exercise of the last, my body has often been so beaten, 
that I have been nearly covered with bruises. Indeed, 
on one occasion, I was carried out of the room where 
I had been fighting, apparently dead, and a medical 
man was sent for to ascertain whether any symptoms of 
life remained. 

My apprenticeship ended about the twentieth year 
of my age, and on the 28th of July, 1800, I was 
accompanied by Hannah Rogers, of Tunstall, in Staf- 
fordshire, to the parish church at Newcastle-under- 
Line, in the said county, where we were united in the 
solemnities of matrimony. The marriage ceremony, 
however, was so carelessly thought of, that, had not a 
person fastened the church doors, to prevent interrup- 
tion from the people without, I should have escaped 
unmarried, and left my bride mortified by disappoint- 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 5 

ment, and the laughs of the people in the churchyard. 
My entrance into the married life was not followed im* 
mediately by reformation of conduct, for I continued to 
aggravate and augment my guilt for five years longer, 
by plunging more deeply into my old sins, and adding 
others to them. After my marriage, convenience led 
my wife and me to lodge with her mother, and but a 
few weeks had passed over before they offended me. 
Being unable to brook the offence without some kind 
of retaliation, yet being unwilling to retaliate it by 
striking them, I struck the wall in the house, then left 
them, and went to seek work at Warrington, in Lanca- 
shire. After having travelled as far as Northwich, 
where I arrived in a hungry and weary state a little 
before dark, I knew not whither to go for help or di- 
rection : the task of reaching the end of my intended 
journey that night was hopeless. Thus situated, I was 
addressed by a man who called me to him, and asked 
me if I was a potter, for I had a potter's apron on. I 
told him I was. He then replied, "Then we will have 
a drink together." My attention was then directed to 
a public-house, into which I was desired to enter, and 
to call for a pint of ale. My penniless condition in- 
duced me for a while to hesitate ; but my new friend 
removed my hesitation by giving me threepence to pay 
for the order. He first told me he would follow me 
into the house, but he was finally induced to accom- 
pany me. He then very kindly made me the par- 
taker of some bread and cheese, and a quart of ale. 
While we were thus regaling ourselves, I told him my 
case, and that, having heard of a pottery at Warrington, 
1 was going thither in search of employment. Affected 
with my story, he wished me to keep the threepence 
which he had previously given me ; and showed me 



O LIFE OF 

the way leading from the town to the place of my pur- 
suit. Though the hospitable conduct of this stranger 
gave me feelings of pleasure and gratitude, yet the 
darkness of the night, added to my non-acquaintance 
with the road, dejected my mind afterwards. After 
having walked a few miles, I turned aside into a mea- 
dow, intending to make it my bed until the arrival of 
morning ; but hearing some people approaching, I de- 
ferred my slumbers, to ask them where I could meet 
with a night's lodging. A woman in the company as- 
sured me that she could get me accommodated if I 
would accompany her to a village just at hand. I then 
very cheerfully became her companion, and on reach- 
ing the village was shown to a public-house. Scarcely 
had I entered the house before I was hurried into the 
calculation that the threepence given to me a few hours 
before would be insufficient to defray the charge of the 
night's entertainment. Policy dictated that my cir- 
cumstances must be concealed from the host. I there- 
fore wished my conductor a good night, and took a seat 
as composedly as a sense of my comparative destitu- 
tion would allow. Presently I was asked what should 
be prepared for my supper. I replied, I had taken a 
refreshment a few miles off, and having need of nothing 
to eat, I would take a pint of ale only ; and then, being 
much fatigued with travelling, would be shown to bed. 
Accordingly the ale was brought and was hastily drunk. 
Afterwards I was shown into a good room, in which 
was a comfortable bed, but such was the exercise of my 
mind as to how I should pay for my lodgings, that the 
comforts of the bed were really almost forgotten. Of 
the contrivances of the night, the most prominent was, 
that a few mushrooms which I had gathered on the pre- 
vious day should be put into a handkerchief and placed 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 7 

on a table in the sight of the person who should attend 
on me ; and that, after my quitting the bed-chamber, I 
should request some tea for breakfast. In the execu- 
tion of this scheme of deception, in the presence of the 
individual in question I took another handkerchief out 
of my pocket, besides that in which the mushrooms 
were first inclosed, and spreading it on a table, I care- 
fully tied it about the bundle of mushrooms, as if to 
signify that its contents were of uncommon value. I 
then intimated that I would take a walk till the breakfast 
was prepared, and, leaving my bundle on the table to 
prevent suspicion that I designed not to return for the 
purpose of defraying the charges of the public-house, I 
bade a final adieu to the place. 

I arrived at Warrington about noon, and the fact 
of having more money in my pocket at the close of my 
journey, than at its beginning, was hailed as the result 
of dexterous contrivance. Immediately on my arrival 
I hastened to the pottery and asked for work, but was 
severely tried on being told that workmen were not 
wanted till Martinmas. Unwilling to have my journey 
rendered fruitless, I hired to begin work at Martinmas, 
and received five shillings as fastening cash. The re- 
mainder of the afternoon was spent at the White Hart 
Inn, where, in company with some of the potters, I be- 
came intoxicated. The next day I returned to Tun- 
stall, and found all in peace. On a Monday, about a 
fortnight after this, some of my companions and I went 
to the wakes at Leek, about ten miles from Tunstall. We 
arrived about four in the afternoon, and with eagerness 
we pursued our revelries until the following morning. 
Then we began to hold a mock prayer-meeting in the 
public-house, but this extravagance of impiety became 
so annoying even to the wicked bacchanalians, that they 



drove us out into the street. We then repaired to the 
Cross, in the Market-place, and resumed our unhal- 
lowed employment ; and to enliven our mockery, some, 
while professing to pray, used cramp sayings ; others 
shouted "Amen" and the rest laughed, to denote their 
approbation of the exercises. From the Cross we stag- 
gered to a fresh public-house, and there maintained our 
follies till the next morning, when all our money was 
spent. Still determined not to pause in our career, one 
pawned his watch, and the others borrowed two guineas 
of the sergeant of the 55th regiment, and one guinea of 
the sergeant of the Artillery, both of whom were re- 
cruiting for soldiers. These sums were obtained on 
the condition that if not returned by Saturday evening 
we should be taken into His Majesty's service. Having 
thus secured a fresh supply of money, we went on in 
our wicked course until Thursday night, and then each 
of us retired to his home. 

In a fortnight afterwards, accompanied by my wife, 
I started for "Warrington, to work at the pottery, ac- 
cording to agreement. While I remained there, which 
was till nearly the close of the following year, my con- 
duct underwent no improvement. From Warrington 
I returned into Staffordshire, and continued to aggra- 
vate my guilt by taking new tours of wickedness. 

Having heard of a new pottery at Hull, in Yorkshire, 
I next made it the object of my pursuit, and was soon 
employed by its owner. There I might have accumu- 
lated a fortune ; for at some branches of my work I 
could earn a pound a day. So unlimited was my 
prodigality, however, that, instead of saving, I plunged 
into debt. Dancing, singing, drinking, and fighting, 
occupied the chief share of my time. 

As long as I remained at Hull, the press-gang 



WILLIAM CLOWES. i* 

was unusually vigilant, and wherever it appeared, it 
excited great consternation ; for the pressing of men 
to serve the navy was very great. Full of daring and 
reckless exploits, several of my associates with myself 
hired a boat and crossed the Humber to Barton, and 
availing ourselves of the notion entertained by the in- 
habitants that we were the press-gang, we threatened 
to press both old and young, and thereby caused such 
alarm that the men of the town decamped and hid 
themselves. The notion of our being the press-gang 
arose from some of us being dressed like sea officers ; 
I wore a coat and pantaloons of the best superfine, 
mounted with yellow buttons, which were made ac- 
cording to the orders that pride led me to give the 
tailor, when I first came to Hull. After having en- 
tered one of the public-houses, we began the exploits 
of folly for which we were well prepared, having 
amongst our company two fiddlers, two hornpipe 
dancers, and several singers. Nor did we cease our 
riot until the next day, when we returned to Hull. 

I had not been many days at home, before what I had 
terrified others with, in my wild career, I was doomed 
to have inflicted upon myself. At about ten o'clock 
one morning, being at the Dog and Duck inn, where 
several officers were stationed, I was provoked to fight. 
The officers appeared diverted with the combat, nor 
did I expect that my opponent and myself were soon 
to become the objects of their seizure. Scarcely, how- 
ever, had we ended our conflict before we were pressed 
to go on board of a ship of war which was in the 
Humber. As the gang was not immediately at hand, 
we were put into a kitchen, and had we not been re- 
moved at the moment we were, I had formed the design 
of escaping, by ascending a table which stood under 
b 3 



10 LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 

a window whose upper sash was let down, and leaping 
head first through. Just as I was about to spring 
through the window, which had I done, I should un- 
doubtedly have been killed, we were arrested by some 
constables, who led us to the rendezvous. As we 
were going down High-street, still bent on making 
my escape, I rushed from the constables and ran up 
Grimsby-lane into the market place, which was crowd- 
ed with market people. The constables pursued me, 
shouting "Stop thief!" but I cried, "It is only the 
press-gang. I have done nothing amiss." Some at- 
tempted to seize me, but others allowed me to pass 
them without interruption. Thus circumstanced, none 
stayed my flight ; for I turned, twisted, leaped, and 
ran, till I had eluded all my pursuers. However, 
being nearly exhausted and greatly fluttered, I entered 
into my master's china shop, into which I was followed 
by the constables who had seen me enter. They took 
me thence back to the rendezvous, that I might ac- 
company other pressed men on board a vessel await- 
ing our arrival. Mr. Smith, my master, together with 
the landlord of the inn in which the captain of the 
press-gang lodged, successfully entreated the captain 
to grant my opponent and me our liberty. When the 
captain had pronounced our freedom, he admonished 
us never to be out of our houses after nine o'clock at 
night. I then determined not merely to abide by his 
admonition, but to be out of town before nine in the 
morning. Accordingly, in a little time after this,! left 
the town and my debts in it, and at the close of the 
second day from my leaving Hull, having carried much 
luggage for eighty miles, I felt as greatly wearied and 
exhausted as ever I remember to have felt in all my 
life. Howeverj on the fourth day I arrived at home. 



CHAPTER II. 

Strivings of the Spirit in early life — Children's prayer meeting — Con- 
vinced of the sin of disohedience to parents — Revival of religion in 
Bursleni — Dances in the town hall — Pierced with feelings of alarm 
— Rushes home — Father administers to him gin and tohacco — Reso- 
lutions — Habit of swearing — Betrayed by an associate — Distress in- 
creases — Goes to a place of worship — Unbosoms his feelings to his 
wife — Takes an oath — Family disagreement — Leaves home — Arrives 
at "Warrington — Breaks his oath — Deep distress — Takes another oath 
— Associates with racers — Notice of foot-racing exhibitions — Resolu- 
tions and oath broken — Misery insupportable — Terrible dreams — 
Reading in a prayer book about eating and drinking damnation — In- 
vited to a love-feast — Curious affair with the door-keeper — Views and 
feelings in the love-feast — Attends a prayer meeting — Mightyinfluence 
— Converted — Remarks. 

Without detaining the reader with a detail of many- 
singular adventures which took place in my early his- 
tory, I may now proceed to narrate certain circum- 
stances preliminary to my conversion to God. That 
most eventful of all circumstances which took place, 
was preceded by repeated strivings of God's Holy 
Spirit, even in childhood. I was convinced that I was 
a sinner. When I was about ten years old, I remem- 
ber being in a prayer meeting conducted by Nancy 
Wood, of Burslem, in her father's house, principally for 
the benefit of boys and girls, and at that meeting, 
being clearly convinced of the sin of disobedience to 
my parents, I wept bitterly, and resolved henceforth to 
be obedient. I had scarcely returned home when my 
father, though ignorant of what had taken place, put 
my resolution to the test by desiring me to go on an 



12 LIFE OF 

errand to a neighbour's house in the dark ; few things 
could have tried more the strength of my resolution 
than this command. My father's wish was, however, 
promptly complied with, and the consequent pleasure 
amply compensated my having overcome the fears I 
had experienced in accomplishing the errand. Obe- 
dience to my parents, alas ! was practised for a very 
short time ; my vows were soon forgotten, and I quickly 
became careless and undutiful towards them. 

At a subsequent period a revival of religion took 
place at Burslem, when my convictions were such, 
that had an experienced Christian taken me by the 
hand, I have no doubt that I should at that time have 
been converted ; but being young, I passed unnoticed, 
and soon lost those convictions. The next visitation 
which I had was in the town hall at Burslem, in 
which I was one of a party assembled to dance. I had 
hardly taken a step in the exercise, ere God impressed 
me with the consciousness that my life had been spent 
in flagrant sin ; great distress of mind followed. I 
there inwardly promised the Lord that I would serve 
him. Instead of relief, I was alarmed with the dread 
that if I did not leave the place, the Lord would take 
away my life and precipitate me into hell; and there- 
fore without speaking a word to any person, I took my 
departure from the place, and ran home. Finding my 
parents in bed, I hastened up the stairs, and told them 
my alarms. Hastily they arose, and judging that my 
complaint was an attack of the colic, my father gave 
me some gin, and the smoke of tobacco, which were 
conveyed down my throat. My father was not, how- 
ever, the physician that I needed, and hence his re- 
medies only added affliction to my bonds. Rendered 
sick in soul with a sight of my sins, and sick in body 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 13 

by tobacco smoke, and tortured by the anticipation 
that hell was opening to receive me, I was really a 
most miserable object. I wished my mother to pray 
for me, but she admonished me to pray for myself. 
Accordingly I began, and promised the Almighty that 
if he would spare my life, I would give body and soul 
to his service ; finding myself a little relieved, I retired 
to rest. Powerful as this visitation was, by associating 
with my numerous acquaintances the recollection of it, 
and the promises it induced, grew less vivid, and again 
I became forgetful of God and his ways. I however 
felt fully that sin and misery were always linked as 
companions, and to avoid the infliction of so much of 
the latter, I had thought marrying would have been 
a good experiment, as I judged I should become more 
detached from the company of my worst associates ; 
added also to this was the resolution to take only half 
a pint of ale a day till I had conquered my proneness 
to intoxication. To cure myself of the habit of swear- 
ing was a work also which I had thought often about. 
I remember having had once, after an awful swearing 
fit, so much horror of mind in consequence, that I 
wondered whether any other person experienced similar 
feelings or not, and immediately asked one of my com- 
panions, privately, if he had such feelings as I, after 
swearing. Instead of giving me a secret reply, as I ex- 
pected he would have done, he exposed my question to 
the company present, and called me a fool, and having 
uttered a horrid oath, asked me if I was going to turn 
Methodist. This treatment made me blush ; but being 
unwishful that the company should believe that I had 
any Methodist feelings, or was likely to be one, I made 
a witty remark to end the matter. 

After having felt great dislike for my faintheartedness, 



14 LIFE OP 

because I could not, like others, swear without strong 
remorse, I now purposed to be more brave. The Spirit 
of God, notwithstanding, attacked me with augmented 
force, and constrained me again to attempt to alter my 
conduct. On one occasion, after a plunge of dissipa- 
tion, I was so assailed with perturbation and dis- 
quietude, that I formed a resolution to go to the Me- 
thodist preaching. 

Visiting a place where religion was the chief subject 
of consideration had been with me a thing of rare oc- 
currence, and consequently my presence excited more 
than ordinary surprise and conversation. At another 
time, when I was in my house, conviction wrought so 
powerfully in my soul, that I burst into tears. My wife 
and her parents having observed my emotion, were 
anxious to know what had befallen me. In a day or 
two after this I determined to disclose the cause of my 
distress to my wife, and, in order that I might have a 
fitting place and opportunity, I persuaded her to take 
a walk with me along the canal side. As we went along, 
I told her, with tears in my eyes, that I was anxious to 
serve the Lord, and regularly to attend the Methodist 
chapel. But thinking I was either foolish or going in- 
sane, she replied that if we became industrious as some 
around us were, there was no necessity for any thing 
more, especially of crying and going to chapels. The 
coldness with which she treated my proposal, caused 
me to say little more on the subject. I resolved, how- 
ever, to serve God, and that I might avert the wrath 
which I felt more than ever hung over my head, I went 
to my house at Burslem, and having taken hold of the 
prayer-book, or the Bible, I took an oath before God, 
that I would cease drinking to excess, and refrain from 
other crimes. The taking of this oath was secreted 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 15 

from every friend. Not long after this, having received 
an offence from my wife and her mother, my anger rose 
to such a pitch, that I revenged the offence, as before, 
by striking the wall of the house. I then went to my 
mother's, and, as I thought I could not serve God at 
home, I determined to leave that part of the country. 
Unknown to my mother, I took her prayer-book, and, 
without a penny in my pocket, commenced my journey. 
In my ramble I occasionally sat down to rest my weary 
limbs ; and as I sat and read in the book I had with 
me, I wept much. Arriving at last at Warrington, I 
hired myself to a master, some of whose servants ac- 
companied me to a public-house kept by one of them. 
I knew not that it was a public-house till I had entered 
it. A quart of ale was soon called for, of which it fell 
to my lot to have to take a drink. Holding the pot in 
my hand, the following interrogatives occupied my 
thoughts. " My oath is upon me, what shall I do ?" 
Looking at me, the men were crying, "Drink." "Shall 
I tell them my oath ?" Resolved to keep secret my 
perplexity, I yielded to the temptation ; and though I 
trembled, I ventured to drink ; and hardly had the pot 
left my lips, before I thought my damnation was sealed. 
I then gave the reins to my passions, and was led cap- 
tive by the devil at his will. After remaining for some 
time in this bondage, I made another effort at reforma- 
tion, by taking another oath in a manner similar to that 
which I had done before, telling no one of the matter. 
For a while I was firm, but alas ! the devil again pre- 
vailed against me, and resolutions and oaths, made in 
my own strength, were borne away like the morning 
cloud. One of my fellow-workmen having engaged to 
run a race with another for a wager, I, along with 
several others, was drawn into the foolish adventure. 



16 LIFE OF 

The way in which these exhibitions were got up in our 
neighbourhood at that time may require a passing 
notice. 

In the first place, the combatant, after receiving a strong 
purgative, was placed between feather-beds, and whilst 
some held down the corners, others got on the top to 
press upon the individual so enclosed, with all their 
weight. Thus the person was made to perspire in the 
most profuse manner ; he was then taken, rubbed, and 
dressed in flannel next the skin. Then the individual 
had to be fed with slices cut from legs of mutton, 
about half cooked, and to drink old ale. This was his 
diet for three weeks or a month. In " breathing" or 
training him before the day of trial, the racer was put to 
bed for an hour, then he had to go to the course dressed, 
and weights in his pocket ; these weights were after- 
wards laid aside, when the racers made their appearance 
together ; and then the only clothing they wore was a 
pair of drawers ; thus they stood at the head of the 
course ready to bound forward with the utmost celerity. 
The ground was usually marked out by three lines 
drawn and fastened on stakes, driven into the ground. 
The two outward lines were for the purpose of keeping 
off the crowd, and the middle one to prevent the racers 
running before each other. It was while assisting to 
get up one of these foolish exhibitions, my oath was 
again obliterated from my soul, and every shilling that 
I possessed was expended and lost; for my fellow-work- 
man, as a combatant on the occasion referred to, was 
defeated; and then I appeared to myself, what in truth I 
really was, — a poor, disappointed, and unhappy mortal. 
Indeed it could not be otherwise with me than a constant 
failure, from the course adopted, labouring to serve God 
in my own strength. What broken resolutions and 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 17 

abortive efforts at reformation and amendment does my 
history furnish ! 

At Hull, the Almighty God, by his most blessed 
Spirit, wrought upon me in such a manner, that 1 ex- 
pected every moment, for the space of two hours, my 
soul would have been hurled into hell. I cried then 
for mercy, and promised God if he would spare me, T 
would love and obey him with all my heart ; but in a 
few days I was the same reckless, violent, and miser- 
able creature. And at another time, under feelings of 
terror, I prayed that if God would carry me in safety to 
my native place, I would then serve him ; but no 
sooner had he preserved me safe to my journey's end, 
than, among my old companions, my promises were for- 
gotten in acts of rebellion. Before my conversion to 
God, the internal misery of which I was the victim 
was in many instances almost insupportable. Some- 
times I used to walk in solitary and unfrequented 
places, wishing that I was a bird or a beast, or any 
thing else that was not accountable to the tribunal of 
Heaven. Sometimes in sleep in the night I have been 
agitated with terrible dreams, and starting up, I have 
been afraid of looking out of my bed, supposing the room 
to be full of devils and damned spirits. Occasionally 
I have broken out in strong perspiration, and wished 
for the light of day in order that I might drown my 
distressing convictions with strong drink, and in sing- 
ing the drunkard's song, which begins with the words : 

" Come, push the grog about,— strong beer drowns all our sorrows." 

Well I remember how conscience used to lash me, when 
I used to sing this song, and with what power and force 
those words were occasionally applied to my soul, " For 
all these things God will bring thee to judgment." 



18 LIFE OF 

The deliverance of my soul from the heavy sorrows 
that oppressed it, was preceded by a circumstance in 
which may be traced the finger of God : it occurred 
about a fortnight prior to my conversion. In taking 
up the prayer-book to read, that passage in it power- 
fully struck my attention — " They that eat and drink 
the Lord's Supper unworthily eat and drink their own 
damnation." This made a deep impression on me at 
the time, and I resolved that, wicked as I was, I should 
never do this thing ; for I conceived this to be the sin 
against the Holy Ghost which was unpardonable. The 
Sunday following, a neighbour of mine called upon me, 
and asked me if I would accompany him to Burslem, 
to a preaching. Well, thought I, it is dark, I shall 
not be seen ; accordingly, I assented to the proposition 
of my neighbour, and went with him. After preaching 
was concluded, and the congregation was dismissed, 
it was announced that there would be a love-feast 
immediately, and that the members of the Society 
would be admitted to the meeting by presenting their 
Society tickets to the door-keepers. The individual 
who was my companion on this occasion, asked me if 
I should like to go into the love-feast. I inquired of 
him what the meeting was for, and what the people 
did ; for I was totally ignorant of such matters. The 
man, however, replied, that if I wished to go in, he 
would go home, and I should have the ticket which 
he had borrowed of his mother-in-law, for the purpose 
of getting in. 

So, feeling inclined to see this meeting, and my 
curiosity being thus excited, I took the ticket, and 
with it directions how to act, in order to gain admis- 
sion. The person told me, in showing the ticket to 
the door-keeper, I was to cover the name written upon 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 19 

it with my thumb, and just let him see the alphabetical 
letter, and thus I should be allowed to pass on into the 
chapel. Accordingly, we both went up to the chapel 
door, and my companion, observing that the door- 
keeper, instead of giving a rapid glance at the presented 
tickets, took them out of the hands of the individuals, 
and examined them minutely, said to me, " Come, 
we must go home; I see neither of us can get in." 
But, at the moment, I neither felt any disposition to 
return, nor to give my friend his ticket back ; and, 
just as I stood in this undecided state, a puff of wind 
came, and blew the door-keeper's candle out. In a 
moment, I presented him my ticket ; but on taking it 
into his hand, he called for another light, and just as he 
was going to read the ticket, another puff came, and 
away went the light a second time. The man being 
fluttered and disappointed, hastily pushed back the 
ticket into my hand, saying, " Here, here, move on." 
So I passed on into the gallery of the chapel. I was no 
sooner seated than I felt disturbed with a variety of 
thoughts. I thought, "What shall I do here ? How must 
I act amongst this people ?" I, however, concluded in 
my mind that I would sit still when the people did, 
kneel when they knelt, and regulate matters as well as 
I could in this way, taking care to be always on the 
watch. The service had only proceeded a short way, 
when I observed, to my uncommon surprise, certain 
individuals going round, and handing bread and water 
among the congregation. Immediately the thought 
struck me like lightning — " This is the sacrament !" — 
and what I had read in the prayer-book respecting eat- 
ing and drinking it unworthily rushed in upon my 
mind, and shook me from head to foot. I glanced ra- 
pidly round on the people to see if there were any that 



20 LIFE OF 

did not receive ; that if there were, I should do as they 
did, and thus I would escape the damnation threatened; 
but to my anguish and distress I observed every indivi- 
dual partook. At last, I thought, " Well, if I take it as 
these people do, and never commit sin afterwards, but 
serve the Lord, it will not be eating and drinking un- 
worthily." So I prayed to God in my heart, that if this 
was a good thought, he would give me peace of mind. 
I therefore received the bread and water in the love- 
feast, under the idea of the sacrament, persuaded that, 
if I sinned after this, I must be damned to all eternity. 
So ignorant was I, at this period of my life, of religious 
things. From this time, however, I became conscious 
of a stronger power working in my soul, and I resolved, 
with my besetting sins, to give up my wicked compa- 
nions, and to attend religious meetings. Now it was 
that I began to see the folly of trying to serve God in 
my own strength, and clinging to the society of dissi- 
pated and ungodly associates. The pall of spiritual 
darkness with which my soul had been so long enve- 
loped, was about to be withdrawn. Some rays from 
the eternal Sun of Righteousness had already fallen 
upon me ; for, on my return from the love-feast, I told 
my wife where I had been, and what I purposed to do 
in future. She said nothing in opposition to the deter- 
mination thus expressed ; for she saw by this time that 
if I held to my purpose it would be to her own advan- 
tage. Indeed, I am persuaded, had she zealously sup- 
ported me in my wishes to change my practices, and 
had any pious individual taken me by the hand at the 
period of my marriage, my conversion to God would 
then have taken place ; but in a certain sense I might 
adopt the language of inspiration, and say, "No man 
careth for my soul !" 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 21 

On the morning subsequent to the love-feast, (to 
which reference has been made,) I went to a prayer- 
meeting which commenced at seven o'clock. The meet- 
ing was what some would term a noisy one, but I was 
not affected on that account ; I felt I had enough to do 
for myself. The power of Heaven came down upon me, 
and I cried for help to Him who is mighty to save. It 
was towards the close of the meeting, when I felt my 
bands breaking; and when this change was taking place, 
I thought within myself, What is this ? This, I said, 
is what the Methodists mean by being converted : yes, 
this is it — God is converting my soul. In an agony of 
prayer, I believed God would save me, — then I be- 
lieved he was saving me, — then I believed he had saved 
me, and it was so. I did not praise God aloud, at the 
moment of my deliverance ; but 1 was fully persuaded 
that God had wrought the glorious work — that I was 
justified by faith, and had peace with God through 
Jesus Christ. Accordingly, when the meeting was 
concluded, some one asked me how I was going on. I 
instantly replied, " God has pardoned all my sins." 
All the people then fell upon their knees and returned 
thanks to God for my deliverance. Thus, sorrow, 
which had continued for a night, passed away, and joy 
came in the morning. 

This memorable occasion, on which I entered, as it 
were, on a new period of existence, and began to live a 
new life, occurred on the morning of January 20, 1805. 
I had lived according to the course of this world, during 
a period of twenty-four years, nine months, and eight 
days. For plucking me as a brand from the burning, 
to Jehovah be tendered acknowledgments of praise and 
glory for ever and ever. — Amen. 



CHAPTER III. 

Peculiar temptations — Advises -with Mr. Steele — Temptation dissolved 
— Another temptation — Love-feast at Harriseahead — Deliverance — 
Daniel Sbubotham — Grows in experience — Determined to abandon 
the Volunteer corps — Great opposition — Conversion of his -wife — • 
Pays old debts — Restitution — Begins a system of domestic discipline 
— Seven practical regulations adopted — Remarks thereon — Expected 
to fall at the time of the wakes — Fasts and prays during the wakes 
— Reproves the wicked — Woman overhearing him pray, abandons 
the resolution to drown herself — Means of grace attended — Partici- 
pates of great spiritual enjoyments. 

Not long after my conversion to God, I was called 
to pass through several heavy trials, in which my new 
principles were fully tested. The first trial occurred 
at the class meeting of Mr. James Steele, the first I ever 
attended. An individual, who had been but lately 
brought into the liberty of the gospel, in stating his ex- 
perience, observed that he had given up his faith, and 
that it had been occasioned by hearing an old professor 
say, " Many people deceive themselves, by thinking 
the drawings of the Father to be conversion." As I 
listened to this statement, the devil applied the old 
professor's remark as applicable to myself, and imme- 
diately a horror of darkness came upon me, and I con- 
cluded that I was a deceived man. Thus my faith 
gave way, and unbelief prevailed; but it shortly oc- 
curred to me, If I am not right, I will begin with all 
my heart to call upon God to make me so. But the 
devil in a moment struck like a thunderbolt into my 
soul the awful thoughts, " It is now all over ; thou hast 
sinned the sin against the Holy Ghost, and in lying 
to the Holy Ghost, by telling the people thou art 



LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 23 

pardoned, whereas thou art not." Under these power- 
ful temptations, my heart almost died away within me 
like a stone, my strength departed, and I was told I 
looked the very image of a corpse. When the class 
meeting concluded, I resolved to acquaint Mr. Steele 
with my distress. Accordingly, I accompanied him 
on the road homewards, and told him all that had per- 
plexed me. When I had done, he replied, " It is an 
old tale of the devil's ; as to sinning against the Holy 
Ghost, before I could do that, I must first know what 
the sin against the Holy Ghost was." Well, thought 
I, if I am ignorant of it, I hope he will not tell me 
what it is. However, after giving me some words of 
advice and encouragement, and telling me to pray, and 
that God would deliver me, we parted ; but I returned 
homewards with a heavy heart, and also oppressed with 
bodily affliction. I continued fervency of prayer, as 
my friend had encouraged me, and, blessed be God! 
on the Thursday evening following, about seven o'clock, 
whilst calling on the Strong for strength, the glorious 
power came down upon my soul, and such was the 
manifestation, that I instantly sprang on to my feet, 
and shouted "Glory! glory!" with all my strength. 
My wife tried to stop me in vain, by telling me that 
the neighbours would hear me, and would conclude 
that I had gone beside myself. 

Another trial which I had to combat was as follows : 
I was borne on the wing of constant praise, from the 
period that I was delivered from the last temptation, 
rejoicing evermore, praying without ceasing, and in 
every thing giving thanks ; and whilst I stood at my 
work singing the hymn, 

" There on Mount Zion we shall stand, 
Crowns on our heads, and harps in our hands," 



24 LIFE OF 

it was suggested to my mind, u Thou shalt be above 
the angels and God himself." I immediately said, 
"' How can I have such a thought as this ? I have no 
desire to be exalted above God, or angels, or any of 
God's creatures." The devil instantly struck me with 
the thought, " Now thou hast committed the sin which 
induced the Almighty to drive the rebel angels out of 
heaven into the blackness of darkness for ever and 
ever." This temptation overwhelmed me in a most 
distressing manner; under its power I became so pros- 
trated in my soul, that I thought I could not live much 
longer ; the strength of my body in a measure departed, 
so that 1 could neither eat, nor drink, nor go on with 
my work. On putting on my coat to go home, I re- 
collected that I had promised the overlooker to do a 
certain quantity of work, and that the quantity was 
not done ; I therefore found myself in a very distress- 
ing dilemma. I was in a low state of mind and body 
through temptation ; I had pledged myself to accom- 
plish a certain task, and my promise had the same 
binding effect upon my mind as if I had taken a 
solemn oath. I therefore began, and though it was 
at a very late hour, I fulfilled my promise made to 
the overlooker. 

The next day, hearing that there was to be a love- 
feast held at Harriseahead, three miles from Tunstall, I 
mustered strength to go thither ; and, blessed be the 
name of the Lord God ! in that meeting the clouds of 
darkness and temptation which had settled on my soul 
were dispersed, and the flame of God's love expanded 
throughout all my powers ; both body and soul rose in 
strength and majesty. I shouted " Glory to God" in 
the meeting with all my might, telling the people what 
God had done for my soul. The praying souls entered. 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 25 

into the faith, and the place was filled with the glory 
of God. Believers greatly rejoiced, and tears of joy 
rolled down the cheeks of numbers of the people. 

This meeting, which was held January 27th, 1805, 
was rendered memorable to me, not only on account 
of a glorious deliverance from darkness and temptation, 
but on account of another circumstance, which was, at 
this meeting my acquaintance with Daniel Shubotham 
first began, of whom 1 shall have afterwards to speak 
in these memoirs of my life. 

Jt was from this period that I began to see more 
clearly the nature of the devil's temptations, and the 
character of those manoeuvres he adopts in entangling 
the souls of men. I likewise began to acquire a know- 
ledge of those spiritual tactics, in the exercise of which 
the great devil of hell and his legions may be suc- 
cessfully resisted, routed, and the battle turned to the 
gate. 

Another trial, of a different description, which I had 
to combat, it may be now necessary briefly to detail. 
Being a soldier in a volunteer corps which was com- 
manded by my master, I resolved to withdraw myself 
from the corps. My reasons for this measure were : 

1. The danger of being drawn into sin, by the 
example or solicitations of the men with whom I was 
thus associated; and, 

2. I thought I could more profitably employ my 
time in religious labours than in military exercises. 

Accordingly, I gave notice to my captain what I had 
determined on ; he immediately acquainted my master, 
who directly sent for me. When I went to him in the 
counting-house, he no sooner saw me than he began 
to swear, and exhibit strong passionate excitement; and 
addressing me with an oath, said, " What a sanctified 
c 



26 LIFE OF 

look you have ! I hear you have turned Methodist." 
I replied, " Yes, sir." He said, " How long will that 
last?" I said, " To the end." He replied, "How 
can you tell that?" I observed, " No man ever trusted 
in the Lord, and was confounded." He said, "No V 
I said, "No." He then stood a minute apparently at 
a loss what to say, or what course to adopt. At last 
he broke forth in a storm of blasphemy and rage, de- 
claring he would make me come back into the volun- 
teers. I told him I did not intend to do so. He then 
said he would turn me from his employ ; and he with- 
drew out of the countino;-bouse, cursing as he went. 
J then went and laid the whole matter before the Lord 
in prayer, and I felt blessed with a holy assurance that 
God would stand by me ; and if banished from my 
employment, I believed God would open for me an- 
other door ; so I proceeded tranquilly to my work, 
having committed myself to the direction of God. 
My master began immediately, and compelled all his 
workmen to enter the volunteer corps ; but with re- 
spect to me, he never said one word on the subject 
afterwards. 

Before I leave this matter altogether, I may remark, 
how reluctantly the devil relaxes his grasp of a soul, 
and what efforts he employs to entangle those again 
who have been led captive by him at his will. It was 
customary for my master to give a feast to his men 
at Martinmas, on beginning a new year of service. 
Dancing usually follows on these occasions. My mas- 
ter and I danced at one of these feasts, and he was so 
much taken with my superior dancing, that hearing 
some copper sound in my waistcoat pocket, he swore, 
and cried, " Throw it out ; throw it away ; I will give 
you gold for it." But how changed his pleasure and 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 2/ 

admiration of me after turning to God ! He expressed 
his disapprobation of my conduct with bitterness and 
violence, and threatened to turn me from his employ. 
Thus the devil and the carnal mind are ever at enmity 
against God. 

I was never annoyed again from this quarter on ac- 
count of my religious profession, with but one excep- 
tion, which was while at my work one day singing, 
" My soul is full of glory." The master came to me 
and the looker-over, and swore I should sing no mare, 
for they could not write in the counting-house for me. 
I immediately reproved them for swearing, telling them 
of the consequences which would follow such a prac- 
tice. Instead of wrangling and attempting to defend 
themselves, they abruptly left me ; subsequently, how- 
ever, the foreman acknowledged to me, that his prac- 
tice of swearing was bad, and that it was the effect of 
passion, and that my way was by far the best. Thus, 
as the Scriptures say, " Our rock is not like their rock; 
our enemies themselves being the judges." 

It was about this period that God in mercy raised 
up for me a true helpmate at home in the conversion 
of my wife. She told me in conversation, that she had 
a hard struggle before she vanquished the powers of 
hell ; for before she was blessed, when the light of 
heaven revealed the depravity of her heart, the devil 
tempted her that there was no God. But one day she 
went up stairs into her room, resolving that if there 
was a God, she would never cease crying to him until 
he fully sav^ed her, and set her imprisoned spirit free. 
In a very short time, God, who is rich in mercy to 
every one that believeth, came to her help, and gave 
her a consciousness that her sins which were many 
c2 



28 life or 

were all forgiven, and she greatly rejoiced in God her 
Saviour. 

She observed to me, when mentioning those cir- 
cumstances, how often she wondered why I continued 
to pray so long on my knees for her ; but she had hesi- 
tated to say any thing to me by way of disapprobation, 
for fear of turning me from the Lord. But now the 
whole matter was clearly understood. When God so 
powerfully wrought upon her mind, she saw and felt 
the need of praying, and praying in an agony, con- 
tinuing "instant in prayer." Thus, blessed be God, 
I had prayed for her when she saw no need of praying 
for herself; but when that need was made to appear 
to her, she then pleaded with God in the manner de- 
scribed ; and it was not in vain, for faith and prayer 
ever storm the sanctuary of heaven, lock the bottom- 
less pit, and bring God and angels down to the earnest 
pleading and believing soul. " All things are possible 
to him that believeth." 

When matters by the mercy and goodness of God 
were brought to this happy issue, both of us converted 
to God, and bound for the kingdom, we began the 
very necessary works of paying our debts and making 
restitution, both at home and abroad. This course 
adopted was a matter of surprise to many, and in the 
minds of numbers it was demonstration sufficient that 
we were changed individuals by the grace of God, and 
that religion not only inspires a proper sense of justice 
in the soul, but leads to the performance of every other 
good word and work. My creditors to whom I stood 
indebted had long given up their debts as wholly irre- 
coverable. However, I can truly say, their pleasure in 
receiving could not be greater than mine in paying. 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 29 

In my exploits at Hull, to which reference has been 
made, I stated that when I decamped from that town, 
I left my debts in it. I now resolved to liquidate 
these debts, as well as those contracted in my im- 
mediate neighbourhood. Because these debts were of 
old standing, and contracted in my wicked state, I did 
not think I could retain the favour of God, or prosper 
in religion, without discharging them all. Accordingly, 
when I remitted the money to my creditors at Hull, I 
told them in my letters that God had converted my 
soul ; and the individuals believed what I said in the 
matter, as I had furnished them with one description 
of proof, in confirmation of what I asserted. And 
afterwards, when in the providence of God I went to 
that town as a missionary, to preach the gospel, in 
going along the street one day, I was saluted by a 
person that knew me in my carnal state, when in Hull 
before, and in whose sister's house I had been accus- 
tomed to revel and run into debt. The person in 
question told me he was glad to hear of the change 
that had taken place in me, and that his sister told him 
she had received money from me out of Staffordshire ; 
that she had now retired from business, and would be 
glad to have an interview with me. He also observed, 
that it would give him very great pleasure if I would 
have the kindness to call upon him for the purpose of 
profitable conversation. 

This individual was a member of the Society of 
Friends, or, at least, worshipped with them ; and among 
many of his acquaintances, he spread abroad an account 
of my proceedings. On a review of this particular 
passage of my history, I have often blessed God that 
he gave me a religion of such an order, that enabled 
me both to burn and shine, to love God with all my 



30 LIFE OF 

heart, and to act uprightly towards my fellow-creatures. 
And on the other hand, had I not proceeded in this 
scriptural course of conduct, already referred to, but 
sheltered myself under some vain plea, how should I 
have lifted up my head in the town of Hull, when 
afterwards I visited it on my missionary labours ? But, 
blessed be God, I was enabled to enter the town in 
the name of the Lord ; all was clear before me, and 
my way became fully open, by doing justly, loving 
mercy, and walking humbly with my God. 

Having lived so long according to the course of this 
world, without any domestic order or regularity, I now 
began to form a system of discipline, to which I pur- 
posed forthwith rigidly to adhere ; the following were 
the principal features of it : — 

1. I resolved that I would labour in my calling from 
six in the morning until six in the evening, that I 
might have sufficient time for serving God, and for 
attending to every duty in its proper course. 

2. That my dwelling-house should be opened for 
different religious meetings. 

3. That whenever my family assembled at meals, I 
should first pray for God's blessing. 

4. That before leaving my home on any occasion, 
to retire for a short period to pray ; and to observe the 
same after entering the house. 

5. That when I was necessitated to take my meals 
with me to my work, to pray, before partaking of them, 
in some retired place. 

6. That all beggars that should call at my door, 
before being relieved, should first be invited into the 
house, and prayer made in their behalf; and all who 
should call on any other account. 

7. That, as a householder, I would take every oppor- 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 31 

tunity to reprove sin, and warn my neighbours of the 
wrath to come, exercising prudence and caution in all 
my movements. 

In carrying out these regulations into practical effect, 
I soon found business to increase upon my hands ; for 
under the second regulation adopted, we soon instituted 
two public prayer-meetings, two class-meetings, and a 
band-meeting. The prayer-meetings were soon crowded 
to overflowing, every part of the house being filled, 
and every room also, the pantry not excepted. God 
saved souls at those meetings, yea, in every room of 
the house, and in the pantry also. They were mighty 
meetings, times of refreshing from the presence of the 
Lord. I found the third regulation to work well ; for 
in praying before meals, if any were called away by 
business, or were necessitated to retire on any account, 
before all were done at table, they were at liberty to 
depart without hurry or disorder, and without any 
omission of duty towards God, that having been already 
attended to ; and I have found this course to be the 
best up to the present period of my experience. 

With respect to the fourth regulation, praying before 
going out, and coming in, — this I have found useful. 
I remember one day on coming home very wet with 
rain, I was tempted by the devil to omit this practice, on 
account of the supposed danger that I should take cold ; 
however, I broke through the temptation, and perse- 
vered, and whilst kneeling on the stairs, the flame of 
heaven burst so mightily into my soul, that I rose and 
shouted glory for about two hours. The neighbour- 
hood was all on a move, and the people crowded round 
the door. The most of the people concluded I had 
now become deranged, and some, that were considered as 
the most knowing in the neighbourhood, were sent into 



32 LIFE OF 

the house by the others to put certain questions to me, 
in order to ascertain whether or not I was capable of 
answering in a rational manner. Knowing some of 
these to be wicked men, I instantly started from my 
seat, and, closing the door, I desired them to fall upon 
their knees ; and when they knelt, I cried to God to 
arrest them ; at once God struck them with his power, 
and they became so terrified, that they jumped up, and 
rushed out of doors. I shouted for victory, and my 
shouting and believing were not in vain, for one of 
these individuals never afterwards shook off the impres- 
sions, until God saved his soul ; and he is now with us 
as a leader and local preacher. 

In the working of the fifth regulation, very often 
when I have retired to a secret place to pray, before 
taking my meal, the bell has rung the second time to 
begin work again. During these seasons of retirement 
I have been so absorbed, that the time has fled uncon- 
sciously, and I have fasted all day ; but I had meat to 
eat that the world knew nothing of. 

With reference to the sixth regulation, which bound 
all beggars to pray before they were to be relieved, I 
found it to answer the purpose well. When persons of 
this class called, I immediately invited them into the 
house; they usually appeared highly pleased, but I 
told them to get down upon their knees before I could 
do any business with them. What dismay many of 
them would often exhibit ! and in many cases it was not 
without considerable difficulty I could get them to 
comply ; but in every instance, even in those in which 
the beggars refused to comply with kneeling, I always 
knelt down, and prayed to God for them. Many of 
the poor wanderers have often trembled on these occa- 
sions, and received good to their souls ; others, some- 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 33 

times before I have ceased praying, have been glad 
to hobble out of the house without an alms. But I 
never suffered them to depart, if I could prevent them, 
without giving them something, lest they should report 
that my practice of praying was only to save my 
pocket, and should thus reproach the cause of religion. 
Making it a regular habit of praying with visitors, I 
found to be profitable ; for those that did not love 
prayer, but whose element it was to gossip and retail 
the news of the day, soon ceased their visits ; and those 
that loved the exercise of prayer, and to discourse on 
the things of God, were glad of an opportunity of com- 
ing under my roof. Thus the pure stream of the water 
of life rolled on in one unbroken current from day to 
day. The last regulation that I brought particularly 
to bear, required, in many instances, the muster of no 
ordinary fortitude, energy, and decision. In carrying 
it out, I frequently went out, expostulated, and rea- 
soned with the sabbath profaners, the butchers, bakers, 
barbers, grocers, publicans, and others, who carried on 
their worldly transactions on the Lord's day. My con- 
duct in these proceedings often subjected me to heavy 
opposition and reproach ; by many I was considered as 
absolutely mad : others supposed that I should only go 
on in this way for a short time ; that, as I had been a 
noted fellow at the wakes, when the next one arrived, I 
should be brought into my old course ; and my antici- 
pated downfal at the approaching wake became so 
much the topic of conversation, that bettings and wagers 
took place among the people in the neighbourhood, 
whether or not I should stand or fall- Matters being 

o 

in this posture, I resolved to look resolutely to God, 
claim his promise, and serve him truly, knowing that 
if I served him continually, he would deliver me. 
c 3 



34 LIFE OF 

As these wakes had been to me, in my carnal state, times 
of feasting and banqueting, I determined by the grace of 
God that they should be forthwith occasions of fasting 
and prayer. Accordingly, when the time arrived, I told 
my wife that I should shut myself up in my room the 
whole of the day for the purpose of fasting and prayer ; 
and she was to permit no one on any account to disturb 
me. After thus spending the day in self-examination 
and devotion, I went in the evening to the prayer- 
meeting. The day following I spent in a similar man- 
ner, in retirement and prayer ; and I can truly say, the 
pleasure and enjoyment I experienced far surpassed 
any thing I had ever felt during those periods of carnal 
festivity. My soul feasted on the hidden manna, and 
drank the wine of the kingdom. My soul rose in spi- 
ritual greatness, and I felt withal such a burning sym- 
pathy for souls, and saw their lost and perishing condi- 
tion with such vividness, that I went into the streets 
among the licentious and profane, and addressed them 
in the name of the Lord. The rebels against God were 
struck with surprise and astonishment whilst I bore 
witness against them, and cleared my soul of their 
blood. Indeed, the fire of God's love became so hot 
in my soul, as frequently to constrain me to shout and 
praise aloud, as I went along the road. On one occa- 
sion I was praising my God aloud, as a happy inhabi- 
tant of the rock, (it was near midnight,) and a woman, 
who had formed the dreadful resolution to drown her- 
self, was actually approaching the water- side for the 
purpose, when hearing me shouting glory to God, she 
was instantly arrested in her purpose. She reflected 
upon the rash and awful deed she was about to perpe- 
trate ; and said to herself, " Oh what a wicked wretch 
am I, and what a happy man is he that shouts and 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 35 

praises God yonder!" This poor creature was, there- 
fore, mercifully diverted from her intention, and re- 
turned home. My soul enjoyed such ecstasy, both night 
and day, that the time I spent in sleep was compara- 
tively trifling, notwithstanding my daily labours and 
religious exercises were very great ; for, after the toil of 
the day, I attended a meeting every evening, and usu- 
ally laboured till my strength failed. My sabbath la- 
bours were also unremitting. In the first place, there 
was the prayer-meeting at six o'clock in the morning ; 
another folio wed at nine ; preaching at eleven ; band- 
meeting at one ; preaching at two ; visiting the sick at 
four ; preaching again at six ; afterwards a prayer-meet- 
ing at my own house, — besides reading the Scriptures, 
family and private prayer, and other occasional duties. 
In the midst of all this ponderous labour, I felt strong, 
active, and unspeakably happy in God. My peace 
flowed like a river, and my righteousness was as the 
waves of the sea. I could adopt the language of the 
poet, and say — 

" How happy, then, are we, 
Who build, O Lord, on Thee! 
What can our foundation shock ? 
Though the shatter'd earth remove, 
Stands our city on a rock, 
On the rock of heavenly love," 



CHAPTER IV. 

Removes to a new residence — Visit of an old woman — Daniel Shu- 
botham — Conversation — Day's praying on Mow hill — H. Bourne — 
Prays on the road with a penitent — Person in Liverpool visits him to 
get salvation — Spiritual pride — Dialogue — Consultation on the mean9 
of a revival — Results — " Theological Institution" established — Ex- 
horts for local preachers — Mr. W. E. Miller — Appointed a class- 
leader — The Kidsgrove bogget — Remarkable class-meeting — A wo- 
man's perseverance — Remarks — On rejoicing evermore — Opinions on 
gesture. 

In consequence of the vast numbers that flocked to 
the prayer-meetings at my house, and the blessed re- 
sults that followed in the conversion of many sinners 
to God, I now resolved to remove to a much more 
commodious house, in which the people might be better 
accommodated. An old woman hearing that I pur- 
posed to do this, came up to my house on a sabbath day 
morning, and knocked at the door. On opening the 
door, she addressed me, and said, " I suppose you in- 
tend to leave this house ; perhaps I shall have an op- 
portunity to take it." I invited her to step in. My 
friend Daniel Shubotham was with me at the time. I 
then said to the woman, " Let lis kneel and pray." At 
this the woman appeared much astonished. We how- 
ever kneeled, and I told the Lord that the woman 
had broken the sabbath, and that the devil had sent 
her to tempt me to do the same ; and whilst I prayed 
that God would take hold of her, arrest, enlighten, and 
save her soul, my friend Daniel heartily responded, 
and we had a glorious shout. At the close of the 



LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 37 

praying we arose, and she seemed as if thunderstruck ; 
I earnestly exhorted the woman to look to Jesus, 
and believe in him for salvation, and requested her to 
come on Monday morning, and I would tell her all 
about the house. However, I never had the lot to see 
her afterwards. 

On this occasion of my friend Shubotham's visiting 
me, we had a very profitable conversation about faith 
and the work of God at Tunstall, Harriseahead, and 
the neighbourhood. He told me that, at Harriseahead, 
the work of the Lord moved on powerfully; many of 
the praying labourers were strong in faith, and power- 
ful in praying exercises ; but that in one matter some 
inconvenience was experienced, and that was, he could 
not get the meetings concluded soon enough at nights ; 
but he had told them, that they should some Sunday- 
have a day's praying and shouting upon Mow hill, 
and then they would be satisfied. 

As* the circumstances of my conversion to God were 
extraordinary, and as they excited considerable interest 
amongst the people in the neighbourhood, many per- 
sons resorted to me to converse upon them, and on 
divine things generally. Among others, Hugh Bourne 
frequently visited me for the purpose of spiritual con- 
versation, which was long before the camp meeting on 
Mow hill took place. Our conversation on these oc- 
casions principally turned upon faith, the inward expe- 
rience of the things of God, and the nature of a present, 
free, and full salvation. At this time I thought Brother 
H. Bourne was a very singular man, for on his visits 
to my house, for the purposes mentioned, I never could 
prevail on him to accept of any refreshment, nor to 
lodge all night, notwithstanding our conversations were 
sometimes protracted till one o'clock in the morning, 



38 LIFE OF 

and then he had a distance of three miles to walk home 
on a road, at that time, by no means a good one. 

Many persons also visited me to receive instruc- 
tion in the nature of the great blessing of sancti- 
fication, and to receive advice and encouragement in 
striving to obtain it, — a blessing, in the glorious expe- 
rience of which I lived and constantly rejoiced. Many 
returning backsliders and mourning penitents sought 
interviews with me ; and I had the happiness to learn, 
that such interviews were blessed to many. 

Whilst at work one day, a man called upon me, and 
wished me to go home with him, for he was so dis- 
tressed in his soul that he could hardly live ; his sins 
were set against him in battle array. Straightway I 
accompanied him, without putting on my coat ; and 
pointing him to Jesus as we went along, and directing 
him to believe just now for pardoning mercy, we turned 
off the road into a field, and falling on our knees, we 
cried unto God, and the man was immediately at 
liberty. I then returned to my work, and the indi- 
vidual went on his way rejoicing. 

Another person, who had formerly been my work- 
mate at Hull, as well as one of my wicked compan- 
ions, having left Hull, and being settled in Liver- 
pool, hearing what God had done for me, and being 
miserable on account of sin, he asked permission of his 
master to visit Staffordshire. His master asked him 
what he wanted there. He replied he wanted his soul 
converting. The master said he thought he could not 
spare him for so long a period as his journey would 
consume ; besides, he thought he might get what he 
wanted at home, without going so far abroad for it ; 
that there was a good chapel and good preaching close 
at hand. The man told his master that he knew all 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 39 

these things, and that he had tried all the means at 
home without success, but that if he went into Staf- 
fordshire, and saw William Clowes, he believed he 
should obtain liberty. The master seeing there was 
no alternative, at last consented. So the man began 
his journey of fifty miles from Liverpool to TunstalL 
The first day he walked to Knutsford, and took lodgings 
at an inn. Before retiring to rest he kneeled down 
and prayed for mercy, and immediately God set his 
soul at liberty, and proved to him that the work, being 
his, did not depend upon William Clowes. The man, 
however, walked forwards to Tunstall, praising God, and 
telling numbers whom he met with on the road what 
the Lord had done for him. He stopped a short time 
with me at Tunstall, and then returned to Liverpool, 
where he died as he lived, in the full triumph of faith. 

Other visiters I had, that called upon me on other 
accounts, such as to give me instruction, and to warn 
me of the danger of spiritual pride, and of the possi- 
bility of being lifted up in consequence of the exalted 
state into which God had brought me, and the success 
which attended my labours. One observed, he un- 
derstood I was on the mount, and the mount was a 
dangerous place to be on ; that it was necessary I 
should be humble, for at present I knew but little ; that 
when I had been twenty-four years in the way, as he 
had, I should know what trials and temptations were, 
and what it was to know the heavens as brass to the 
prayer of the soul. Well, I replied, by being on the 
mount I understood to be a superior state of holiness ; 
I understood that great supplies of grace preserved the 
soul in this superior state of sanctity ; if not, then the 
less measures of grace received, our spiritual state would 
be the better secured, which, in the experience of the 



40 LIFE OF 

things of God, such cannot be the fact. And with 
respect to twenty-four years' trials, I did not conceive 
it was necessary to trouble myself on that matter, for 
it might be God would have me praising him in heaven 
before twenty-four hours. But if I should live twenty- 
four years, God will live also, and, according to his 
promise, he will be to me then what he is to me now, — 
an all-sufficient Saviour. And with respect to the hea- 
vens being brass to the pleading soul, I conceived he 
was out of the line of faith, for the promise is, " What- 
soever ye ask in faith ye shall receive." True faith 
constantly realizes a present salvation. I replied, 
" My friend, I feel the flame burning in my heart just 
now." Accordingly, I shouted " Glory" with all my 
strength, and my well-meaning friend appeared con- 
founded, and acknowledged, before he departed, that 
my way in religious things was, after all, the best way. 
It was about this time that several of us at Tunstall 
consulted together how we might more effectually carry 
on the work of God in the prayer-meetings, in order 
to accomplish the grand object of our most anxious 
desire, — the conversion of sinners to God. We agreed 
that the person who should first address the throne of 
grace should believe for the particular blessing prayed 
for, and all the other praying labourers should respond 
Amen, and believe also ; and if the blessing prayed for 
was not granted, still to persevere pleading for it, until 
it was bestowed. We conceived we were authorized 
and justified by the Scriptures in praying and believing 
for certain blessings, and receiving them in the act 
of believing ; but that it could not answer any useful 
purpose in the exercise of praying to God, to ask per- 
haps for hundreds of blessings, and finally to go away 
without receiving any. Thus Jacob, when he wrestled 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 41 

with the angel, persevered until the breaking of the day, 
and his believing and unconquered importunity was 
successful. The angel said, "Thy name shall be called 
no more Jacob, but Israel ; for as a prince hast thou 
power with God and with men, and hast prevailed," 
Gen. xxxii. 28. And in the case of Jabez ; he prayed, 
" Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge 
my coast, and keep me from evil, that it may not 
grieve me." And the Lord granted his request. The 
Canaanitish woman cried after our Lord in behalf of 
her daughter, but our Lord answered her not at first, 
yet she cried again and again, until Jesus said, " O 
woman, great is thy faith ; be it unto thee even as thou 
wilt," Matt. xv. 28. And again, the blind men that 
"sat by the way-side begging, cried to Jesus as he 
passed, Have mercy upon us, O Lord, thou Son 
of David. The multitude rebuked them, but they 
cried the more, Have mercy upon us, thou Son 
of David. And Jesus stood still, and called them, 
and said, What will ye that I should do unto you ? 
They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be 
opened. So Jesus had compassion on them, and 
touched their eyes, and immediately their eyes received 
sight, and they followed him," Matt. xx. 30 — 34. 
Joshua commanded the sun to stand still ; but here the 
prayer of faith induced the Son of God to stand still, 
he who made the sun. There is also the case of the 
importunate widow who pleaded with the unjust judge. 
He would not avenge her of her adversary, but she 
persevered. "And he said within himself, Yet because 
this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her 
continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, 
Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not 
God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night to 



42 LIFE OF 

him, though he bear long with them ? I tell you he 
will avenge them speedily," Luke xviii. 1 — 8. 

We thus ascertained that our ground was clear, that 
whatsoever we asked the Father in the name of Christ 
he would do it. We therefore began to see immediate 
good done in the name of the Lord, acting in accord- 
ance with those views of the word of God which it is 
calculated to inspire ; for seldom a meeting took place 
but souls were saved and believers sanctified to God. 
In addition to the prayer-meetings held in my house, 
there was one held in the house of Brother J. Nixon, 
and one in Mr. Smith's kitchen on Friday evenings. 

I may now take occasion to mention another meeting 
which was established in my house, the character of 
which very materially influenced my future religious 
movements. It was called a local preachers' meeting. 
It was held in a room in my house every Saturday even- 
ing, which I fitted up for the purpose. It was a meeting 
expressly for mental improvement and for discussing 
subjects of a theological nature. The course we pur- 
sued was as follows : After singing and prayer we ap- 
pointed a president and a secretary. A written piece 
was then produced by one of the members of the meet- 
ing on some religious topic, original in composition. 
Then a text of Scripture was announced by the presi- 
dent, on which every one present gave his opinion ; then 
followed a free discussion ; then the sense of the meeting 
was afterwards taken, and recorded in a book kept for 
that purpose. Prayer was then offered up, and the 
meeting concluded. A library was established in con- 
nexion with this meeting, which was raised by sub- 
scriptions, donations, and forfeitures. This meeting 
was very profitable, and went on very successfully for 
several years ; much intellectual improvement was 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 43 

gained by the members generally. From this " Theolo- 
gical Institution" many preachers were trained for more 
enlarged spheres of usefulness than those they occupied 
before. From it Joseph Marsh, James Allen, Thomas 
Davison, and others, went out to be travelling preach- 
ers. Although I was not a local preacher at the time 
of the formation of the " Institution," yet as the meet- 
ing was held in my house free of any expense, I was 
included as a member. It occasionally happened, as 
each meeting took place on the Saturday evening, 
some of the local preachers would engage me to go out 
the next day to take their appointments in certain ur- 
gent cases. When I went to such appointments, I did 
not venture to take a text, but gave an exhortation, in 
which exercise I generally felt greatly blessed. 

It was about this period also that Mr. W. E. Miller, 
the travelling preacher in the circuit, strongly pressed 
me to lead a class at Kidsgrove, to which I consented. 
This place, at which there is a large colliery, is distant 
about two miles from Tunstall ; and to attend every 
week, and especially in the winter season, when the 
nights were cold and stormy, was not a very easy matter. 
In a lonely part of the road leading to Kidsgrove, which 
is skirted by a wood, there wandered a ghost, as tra- 
dition and common report asserted. It was called the 
'.' Kidsgrove bogget." On my first induction into office 
as the Kidsgrove class-leader, I confess, when passing 
the haunted domains of this " Kidsgrove bogget," that 
I occasionally felt a little fear creeping on me ; but, 
unlike the school-boy with his satchel on his back in 
crossing the church-yard, 

" Whistling aloud to keep his courage up," 
I endeavoured to pray away those fears, and to entrench 
myself in the power and protection of that almighty 



44 LIFE OF 

Redeemer to whom all spirits are subject ; and on many 
a dark and dreary night did I tranquilly pass along, 
when those who had obtained reputation for courage 
and bravery would have trembled. Very frequently 
my Tunstall friends would accompany me ; and on 
these occasions we used to make the lonely lane to 
ring with shouts of glory, and singing the praises of God. 
The class-meeting at Kidsgrove rose into great vigour 
and usefulness in a short time, and many of the roughest 
colliers were brought to God. At one period several of 
these came into the house where we were holding the 
class-meeting, some of whom were half drunk, and 
the house was crowded with people. I hardly knew 
what course to adopt ; at last I came to the resolution 
to address both saint and sinner, and to give an ex- 
hortation, and then for the believers to speak their 
experience as they should feel liberty. I then began 
personally to address the ungodly ; and as I proceeded 
on this plan, some of them were struck with such 
terror and alarm that they jumped up and rushed out 
of the house, and they confessed afterwards that they 
thought they should have fallen into hell if they had 
remained any longer in the house, and they should 
take care not to go to William Clowes's class again. 
One ruffian was so wrought on that he fell like an ox, 
and laid quietly under the form till the meeting closed. 
The meeting being thus tolerably cleared, a mighty 
shout of glory went through the house ; many that 
came from the surrounding places to visit our meeting 
were saved of the Lord. At one time, when the re- 
vival was strong, a woman was brought into liberty : 
some one in the class questioned the reality of the 
woman's conversion, and insinuated that she was mis- 
taken, but the woman maintained that God had par- 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 45 

doned her sins. Marcus Bailey, another class-leader 
at Kidsgrove, brother to Matthias Bailey, a mighty man 
in faith and spiritual discernment, overheard the woman 
praying that night in the following manner: "Jesus, 
they do not believe that thou hast converted me ; but 
do not mind them, Jesus, what they say, for thou hast 
converted me." The woman persevered in her simple 
way, and proved to those who had expressed doubts of 
the genuineness of her faith that her conversion was 
scriptural. This case shows us that there may be true 
sincerity accompanied with considerable ignorance and 
eccentricity, and that believers may in many instances 
form wrong conclusions on the true state of young 
converts. Still, in many instances, God bestows the 
power of spiritual discernment to his faithful people, by 
which they are able to detect the hypocrite who coun- 
terfeits the signs of conversion, and those who, among 
the children of God, obtain a reputation for sanctity, 
but who are hypocrites. But such spiritual percep- 
tion is not the gift of ordinary Christians, but only 
of those who are taught in the deep things of God — 
the fathers in Christ and the mothers in Israel. 
God cannot be deceived ; he knows them that are his. 
God seeth not as man doth : man looketh on the out- 
ward appearance, but God looketh on the heart. As I 
now greatly prospered in my soul, and saw the good 
hand of God in all my operations, I was uncommonly 
happy all the day long, praising God from morning till 
night. On the subject of rejoicing evermore I had an 
interesting conversation with Mr. W. E. Miller, the 
travelling preacher, as I accompanied him on the road 
to Kidsgrove, at which place he was going to preach 
one evening. He thought it was hardly possible to 
rejoice evermore. He brought forward Job as an in- 



4.6 LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 

stance ; and as other corroborating proofs, he mentioned 
some of the martyrs who had greatly rejoiced, but when 
they came to suffer they failed. I told Mr. M. that I 
conceived that these were not the standards which we 
had to go by in this matter. It was necessary for us to 
go to the law and the testimony. In the 1st of Thess. 
v. 16 — 18, it is said, "Rejoice evermore. Pray with- 
out ceasing. And in every thing give thanks : for this is 
the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." And 
with reference to the martyrs, God never failed to give 
grace and strength to those that trusted in him. This 
truth he has declared in many passages in his blessed 
word. As I thus went on describing the willingness 
of God to give grace in every time of need, I felt so 
carried away with the love of God that I shouted and 
praised him aloud. Mr. Miller then discontinued the 
conversation of rejoicing evermore, by requesting me 
to preach for him that evening. At the band-meeting 
on the Saturday night following, he told the people 
that in a conversation with me I had been an instru- 
ment of strengthening his faith in the Lord. Many, 
however, of the suggestions and instructions of Mr. 
Miller were of great use to me whilst he travelled in 
the circuit. He, for instance, desired me to refrain from 
striking the form with my hands whilst praying, and to 
adopt natural and becoming gestures in religious exer- 
cises. And I have since been convinced that religion 
does not consist in bodily movements, whether shouting, 
jumping, falling, or standing, but in the exercise of 
faith — in the soul taking hold of God and realizing a 
present salvation ; and in this most important ex- 
ercise, that action which is the most simple and in true 
accordance with nature will always be the most ac- 
ceptable. 



CHAPTER V. 

Associated with others in suppressing sabbath-breaking — String of 
resolutions adopted — Publican brought up for allowing tippling — 
Gentlemen tipplers at the head inn, Burslem, brought up — Sessions 
trial — Wounded in the house of friends — Circuit steward and su- 
perintendent of Burslem circuit — Threatened by church rulers — As- 
sociation dissolved — Mr. Smith's prayer-meeting — Mr. Smith per- 
suaded to check the praying labourers — Four regulations for praying 
— Mr. Smith's conduct at a prayer meeting — The moving pulpit — 
James Nixon — Grand prayer- meeting — Appointed to lead a second 
class — Method of class-leading. 

The next field into which I was called to labour 
rather extensively, was the suppression of sabbath- 
breaking, which existed to an awful extent in the 
Stafford shire Potteries. I was associated with several 
others in this enterprize ; and to accomplish our purpose 
more fully, an association was constituted of persons 
resident in Tunstall and Burslem, which met every 
Monday evening in the house of Mr. Smith, of Tunstall. 
We got, in the first place, Mr. Riles, the superintendent 
preacher, to write to the neighbouring magistrate, an- 
nouncing our object, and soliciting his co-operation. 
We then drew up a string of resolutions, to which we 
immediately proceeded to give practical effect. The 
resolutions were as follows : — 

1 . That we should use reasoning and expostulation 
in the first instance, and not proceed to summon parties 
before a magistrate if milder measures would avail. 

2. That we should print an abstract of the law on 
sabbath-breaking, with the different penalties annexed, 



48 



LIFE OF 



which the different offenders incurred. Also the king's 
proclamation against vice and immorality. Likewise 
a sermon hy Mr. Wesley on the same subject, from 
Psalm xciv. 16 ; and, lastly, the Rev. D. Simpson's 
" Address to the Mayor and Magistrates of Macclesfield, 
and every Lover of the Country." 

3. That a number of friends should be selected who 
possessed faith and courage, and proceed through the 
streets and lanes, towns and villages, every sabbath 
morning and evening, and enter the inns and public 
houses, and other places of resort, and bring in their 
reports to the meeting. 

4. That subscriptions should be entered into and 
paid into the hands of the treasurer, to sustain the 
prosecutions that were necessary to be conducted ; but 
the money received on account of the informations 
where the parties were convicted should be given to 
the poor of the parish, to be expended in bread. 

5. That the meetings of the association shall begin 
and end with prayer, and that much prayer should be 
offered up for God to work with us, and for the magis- 
trates to be firm in the discharge of their duty, that the 
country might be roused to see the enormity of the evil 
which was on all hands so formidable, and that as 
Christians we might no longer sit still and " suffer sin 
upon our neighbour." 

We now got fairly started in our new sphere of 
action, and soon brought several incorrigible offenders 
to justice. Many became much alarmed. Others in 
business, who had been transgressors, were glad we 
had taken up the matter, inasmuch, as from the prac- 
tice of their neighbours in selling on the Sunday, they 
were compelled to do the same or lose their custom. 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 49 

So that Sunday was equally a day of toil with them as 
any other day of the week, much against their inclina- 
tion. As we treated all alike in our proceeding, both 
rich and poor, and did nothing by partiality, there was 
very speedily a powerful check put upon Sunday 
trading, and other violations of the holiness of the 
Christian sabbath. Many persons of different descrip- 
tions sent us donations to help us forward, whilst 
others threatened our lives if we went any further ; 
but regardless of the most terrible threats and denun- 
ciations we went on our way. A case or two may be 
mentioned as illustrative of the opposition, and the 
manner in which we persevered through it. 

A publican that kept a public-house near the church, 
and a constable too, was brought up by us. Our 
friends, on entering the house of the publican, found 
assembled a number of tipplers ; and the publican, who 
was present in defence of his friends, became very 
boisterous, and struck one of our people with a great 
stick, and drove the rest out of doors. When he ap- 
peared before the magistrate he told a very ingenious 
and plausible story. He stated that a number of in- 
dividuals had been at church at a christening, and that 
the night being very cold, and their having a few miles 
to go, they had turned into his house to get a few 
glasses of warm ale before they started on their journey, 
and he had brought a witness who would prove his 
statement to be true. 

The magistrate questioned the witness by saying, " How 
came you to be in the public-house on this occasion?" 

Witness — "I am one of Mr. B.'s neighbours, and 
I just stepped down to see him, and take a pint of 
ale in a friendly way, and what Mr. B. says is quite 
true in every particular." 



50 LIFE OF 

Magistrate. — "Well, then, I will now fine you three- 
and-fourpence for that pint of ale; and you have con- 
victed your neighbour Mr. B. ; for if those people Mr. 
B. speaks of were excusable in getting their glasses, 
you were not so." This was a cutting-stroke to Mr. B., 
and it brought the business at once to a termination. 

In another case the parties that we brought up got a 
lawyer to plead for thern. They were two publicans, 
both from the same village, and when the magistrate 
asked one of them why he had suffered tippling in his 
house, he said a soldier who had come on a furlough, 
and was going to return, had entered his house with 
some of the neighbours and his relations, to take a 
glass or two on parting. But I told the magistrate, 
that I saw the soldier a week after that period in the 
neighbourhood. The lawyer asked me whether I 
would venture to swear that or not. I told him I was 
on my oath, and I w T as willing to swear as often as the 
oath was administered to me ; but it was not the oath- 
taking that induced me to speak the truth, for I was 
a man that feared God, and I considered myself as 
at all times on my oath, for I was always in the pre- 
sence of that God that searches the hearts and tries 
the reins of the children of men. The lawyer then en- 
deavoured to change his course, and to employ a little 
sophistry, but the magistrate cut the matter short by 
saying, "I think the case is made out; I must convict." 
The two publicans were therefore fined. The magis- 
trate observed that he was more troubled with our cases 
than with any others ; but he felt bound to do justice, 
as he sat there for that purpose. It occurred to my 
mind that the reason why he was troubled so much 
with our cases was, that he was so much prayed for, 
that in the matters we submitted to him he might judge 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 51 

righteous judgment. It is not a little surprising, that 
these publicans, whenever I met them afterwards, 
bowed and saluted me in the most respectful manner, 
and one of them acknowledged to certain persons, that 
he believed I was a just man. 

The last case which I may just notice out of many, 
was the one of Mr. C, of the head inn in Burslem. 
Several gentlemen were in this house tippling when 
our friends called, and they conducted themselves very 
rudely ; so it w T as determined to bring up not only 
Mr. C, but the gentlemen tipplers also. This resolu- 
tion made a considerable stir in the country. When 
we appeared before the magistrate, not our former 
magistrate, but a clerical one, he suffered the case to 
go to the sessions, which was contrary to law, as he 
ought to have dealt with the case in a summary man- 
ner. This course was adopted by the magistrate and 
the gentlemen tipplers, under the idea that we should 
not follow up the matter, in consequence of the expense 
and trouble that it would occasion us in pursuing the 
case to the quarter sessions. However, in this they 
were grievously mistaken ; for when the sessions came, 
though twenty miles distant where they were held, we 
were present, ready to substantiate the charge which 
we had in the first instance preferred before the magis- 
trate. But as soon as the magistrate saw us, he imme- 
diately held a private conference with the gentlemen, 
and advised them to make the matter up without delay, 
for he durst not suffer the case to come into court, as 
he, according to law, ought not to have given them any 
appeal. Thus we were again victorious, the Lord 
being on our side. 

But at last a heavy trial awaited us ; a trial in which 
our energies were crushed, and the association which 
d2 



52 LIFE OF 

had accomplished so much visible good completely 
overthrown. We were wounded and slain in the house 
of our friends. The circuit-steward of the Burslem 
circuit being a wine and spirit merchant, and supplying 
the inns and public-houses with spirits, he was told 
that unless he endeavoured to prevent our operations 
in future, they would not be at liberty to do any more 
business with him. The circuit-steward then conferred 
with the superintendent preacher, and a meeting was 
called to put a stop to our proceedings. At this meet- 
ing we were told that our conduct gave general dis- 
satisfaction, and that if we went on any longer, we 
should be considered forthwith as expelled from the 
Methodist society. The superintendent announced in 
the public congregation his disapprobation of the mea- 
sures of the association. 

These extraordinary measures of the church were 
paralyzing to us all. The expenses we were at in pro- 
secuting were great ; the labour was great ; and the 
threat held out by the rulers of the church, that we 
should be expelled the society, was worse than all. 
The wicked, now encouraged by the conduct of our 
spiritual guides, broke in upon us with redoubled fury. 
We now plainly saw that to try to stem the opposition 
dashing upon us like the furious cataract, was impos- 
sible. Our brethren had armed the wicked against us, 
and feeling a conviction we had done our duty, we dis- 
solved the association, and left the consequences with 
those who had been instrumental in driving us, most 
reluctantly, to adopt this conclusion. 

But this was not the only trial we experienced from 
that quarter, for the same individuals, in an interview 
with Mr. Smith, persuaded him, that it was very wrong 
in the prayer meeting, which we held in his kitchen, 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 53 

to have such noises made ; that such loud praying was 
very inconsistent, and should be put an end to. The 
old gentleman, thus persuaded by these influential in- 
dividuals, decided to stop us forthwith ; and to accom- 
plish the matter the more effectually, he drew up a few 
regulations, and they were in future to be strictly ad- 
hered to in the prayer meetings : 

1. That we should lift up our voices in prayer no 
louder than was just necessary for the people present to 
hear. 

2. That we should not say in prayer " My God," 
but " Our God," because he is the God of us all. 

3. That we should not say in our prayers, " Send 
fire, send fire." 

4. That we should not petition God more than three 
times for any particular blessing, whether we received it 
or not, because it was " vain repetition." 

When we became aware of the existence of these re- 
gulations, and that the prayer meeting was to be in 
future governed by them, we felt ourselves locked in a 
very trying dilemma. On the one hand we did not wish 
to grieve the old man, of whose courtesy and Christian 
affection we had received so many proofs, and on the 
other hand we felt afraid that if we adopted his regu- 
lations we should depart from the order of God, by 
banishing that freedom and simplicity from our praying 
exercises which had been recognized by the Spirit of 
God in the conversion of many souls, and fettering 
them too much with what men call system and order, 
quenching the Spirit, and sinking into dead formality. 

For in the first place, with respect to shouting, 
vehemence, or the extension of the voice in prayer, we 
knew there was no specific direction in Scripture ; for 



54 LIFE OF 

the prophets cried aloud, and bid the people do the same 
— " Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion : for great 
is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee," Isaiah 
xii. 6. Blind Bartimeus, when sitting by the wayside 
begging, cried to our Lord : the people rebuked him, 
but he cried out the more, " Thou Son of David, 
have mercy on me." Elizabeth, when rilled with the 
Holy Ghost, spake with a loud voice, Luke i. 42. 
When Christ rode in triumph to Jerusalem, the people 
cried with loud voices, " Hosanna ! blessed is he that 
cometh in the name of the Lord," Mark xi. 9. When 
Paul healed the lame man at Lystra, " He, leaping up, 
stood and walked, and entered into the temple walking, 
leaping, and praising God," Acts iii. 8. And Jesus, 
at the grave of Lazarus, cried with a loud voice, 
"Lazarus, come forth," John xi. 43. And in heaven, 
the angels and sainted millions of the blessed praise 
God with loud voices of thanksgiving, Rev. v. 12, 13. 

From these authorities we see that God is praised 
both in heaven and on earth with vehemence and 
strength, and that there exists no rule in Scripture as 
a measure on this matter ; and we know it is in the 
nature of things, when a believer is in an agony plead- 
ing for souls to be saved from the damnation of hell, 
and also when he is excited with unspeakable feelings 
of gratitude for mercies received, to break forth in loud 
expression, " Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is 
within me bless his holy name," Psalm ciii. 1. With 
respect to regulation the second, substituting the plural 
possessive pronoun " our," instead of " my" in the 
singular form, saying, " our God" for "my God," we 
were quite aware we had several Scripture precedents 
warranting the use of that form of expression which we 
employed in prayer. David said, " I cried to my God 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 55 

and he heard me," Psalm xviii. 21, and lxxxix. 26. 
Daniel said, " My God hath sent his angel, and hath 
shut the lions' mouths," Daniel vi. 22. Thomas said, 
u My Lord and my God," John xx. 28. Paul said, 
" My God shall supply all your need out of his riches 
in glory by Christ Jesus," Phil. iv. 19. 

With respect to the third regulation, which went to 
prohibit the use of the expression " send fire :" we con- 
ceived the term fire in Scripture to mean the gift of the 
Holy Spirit of God in all its fulness and power, pro- 
mised in the gospel dispensation under which we live. 
For Jesus, in his word, has promised to baptize his 
people with the Holy Ghost and with fire. And having 
felt this baptism in its hallowing and renovating power, 
in answer to prayer, fervent prayer, we concluded our 
course was clear to pray down the baptismal fire in 
every prayer-meeting; hence, with these views, and 
with such an authority as Jesus, it might naturally be 
expected, when wrestling in mighty prayer, we should 
use those expressions which the Scriptures had taught 
us ; for 

" To bring fire on earth he came, 
Kindled in some hearts it is." 

As it respects the last regulation of the string — 
" guarding us against { vain repetition' by not praying 
more than three times for any particular blessing," we 
felt convinced that, as the word of God did not bind 
us to this course, it would not be wisdom to adopt it. 
We would not have objected to this regulation, with a 
little addition, if, on asking God for a particular bless- 
ing, that blessing was received on the first time of 
asking, then we should not have felt any need to ask 
again, but if not granted on the first asking, then we 



56 LIFE OF 

should feel bound to ask and ask again, and persevere 
until the blessing was bestowed. Asking and not 
believing for the blessing solicited, in our views, was 
vain repetition ; but those that ask in faith shall as- 
suredly receive ; and to enter into faith is the grand and 
principal matter in exercises of devotion, and by thus 
pleading, faith is obtained. 

When Mr. Smith had settled in his mind that the 
prayer-meeting should be conducted in exact conformity 
with his regulations, he appeared increasingly preju- 
diced against our way of worshipping, and was de- 
termined to bring us to the system he had formed. 
Accordingly, at the meetings, when there was any 
loud praying, he would become irritable and uneasy, 
and would seize the party offending by the hair, ex- 
claiming, "You'll make less noise, will you;" and 
other such words he would occasionally use. At one 
time, I remember, he came behind me whilst I was 
praying, and thrust his hand into my mouth, and with 
his other hand he pressed my head against his breast, 
so that for some time there was a dead silence in the 
meeting, which was crowded. When he liberated me 
I told him that he had better let me alone, or the Lord 
would be angry with him. Seeing he could not bring 
us to what he thought was order and propriety, his 
invention produced another singular regulation. He 
converted a chest of drawers into a sort of pulpit, with 
runners underneath, with a cushioned pulpit-board, a 
swing brass candlestick, and the whole was so contrived 
that when the meeting was over it could be dismantled 
and run back against the kitchen wall as a piece of 
furniture. 

However, it was not necessary to run this fine pulpit 
about very often, for it was never used as such after 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 57 

the first night of its being brought into use. The 
design of having this locomotive pulpit was, that as 
soon as the prayer-meeting began, at the word of com- 
mand from Mr. Smith, certain individuals should ad- 
vance one after another and take possession of this 
rostrum, and pray in a proper and orderly manner. 

The first night of the working of this new system, 
Mr. Smith called upon James Nixon, and gave him 
instructions how he was to proceed, and charged him 
to keep to the regulations laid down. James stood up 
to object, and remonstrate, but I thought it was a loss 
of time, and said to him, " I pray thee, James, to go on 
with the work ; we cannot afford to lose time in this 
way." Mr. Smith then said to me, " Then do you 
come ; and see that you observe these things." I then 
moved on, and struck up a hymn ; all immediately 
joined. I then fell down to pray. The first expression 
which I got fast hold of was, " Lord, bind the devil !" 
The praying souls thundered forth their loud aniens. 
I repeated the words about twenty times, and we all 
rose into the faith ; a grand shout of glory followed, and 
the victory was declared for the faithful. The old gen- 
tleman was throughout this stirring and extraordinary 
scene as mute as possible, never uttering a word. We 
continued to go on ; one prayed in one part of the 
kitchen, and another in another part, and the pulpit on 
its runners stood still, unoccupied and unnoticed. We 
concluded in our usual manner, blessing and praising 
the God of our salvation ; and on bidding Mr. Smith a 
good night, he replied in the most tranquil manner, 
" Good night, lads ; good night, Billy." And it is 
very singular to remark, that, at this time, he sent his 
tailor to measure me for a new suit of clothes, which I 
accepted. 

d 3 



58 LIFE OF 

Mr. Smith had, in the prayer meeting held in his 
house, many clear demonstrations of praying faith, in 
the effects that were wrought ; and it cannot be sup- 
posed he would have attempted to restrain us in the 
liberty we enjoyed, had he not been stirred up by the 
representations of the parties to whom reference has 
been made ; for prior to making these attempts, he 
had seen with his own eyes the arm of the Lord made 
bare. One instance just occurs to me. When Mr. S. 
purposed to have religious meetings in his house, he 
sent for a joiner to make some alterations. The joiner, 
who was a careless and wicked young man, on coming 
into the house, Mr. Smith's housekeeper persuaded him 
to stop at the prayer meeting ; with much entreaty she 
succeeded, and when I came to the meeting, she told 
me the matter. When I began the meeting, I laid my 
hand on the young man's shoulder, and cried, " Lord, 
lay thy hand on the joiner ! Shake his soul, Lord, to 
a sense of its danger ! Shake him, Lord !" The people 
believed, and responded "Amen !" and conviction be- 
gan to take place ; and on the next night God set his 
soul at liberty. He joined my class at Kidsgrove, and 
became my companion thither every Monday evening 
for some time, and was very zealous and pious. He 
afterwards left Tun stall, and went to reside in the city 
of Chester, where he began to preach, and was at length 
called out as a travelling preacher in the Wesley an 
Methodist Connexion. 

It was, if I mistake not, about this period that I was 
appointed to lead a second class which was at Tunstall. 
W r hen I received the class-paper, I took it up into my 
room, and spread it before the Lord. I then held a 
fast, and asked the Lord to double the number of names 
upon the paper by the next quarter ; and the Lord an- 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 59 

swered my prayer : the class rapidly increased, until 
the house became so full, that there was hardly room 
to kneel. In leading my classes I used to get from six 
to ten to pray a minute or two each, and thus to get 
the whole up into the faith ; then I found it a very easy 
matter to lead thirty or forty members in an hour and 
a quarter, for I found that leading did not consist so 
much in talking to the members, as in getting into the 
faith, and bringing down the cloud of God's glory, that 
the people might be truly blessed in their souls as well 
as instructed in divine things. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Tract Society formed — Associated with James Nixon in tract-distribu- 
tion — Method pursued — Apathy of the people — Pleasure felt in 
doing good — Lawton Heath — Case of James Nixon preaching — 
Persecution — Ignorance of an old man — Preaching at salt works — ■ 
Lovefeast at Lea Hall — Daniel Shubotham and Matthias Bailey — 
Meeting on Delamere forest — James Crawfoot — Visits James Craw- 
foot's meetings — Circumstance on the journey — Hugh Bourne — 
American camp-meetings — Lorenzo Dow preaches at Tunstall and 
Congleton — H. and J. Bourne. 

It may be now necessary, in the course of these 
memoirs of my life, to take notice of another field of 
Christian labour in which, by the providence of God, 
I was called to toil, along with several faithful and 
zealous coadjutors. This was the working of a tract- 
distributing society which was organized in the town of 
Burslem. By contributions which were raised, Bibles, 
Testaments, and tracts were purchased, and individuals 
appointed to go round both town and country to deliver 
the books to all who would receive them, and after- 
wards to call again and exchange them for fresh ones. 
By the rules which were drawn up it was provided, 
that the distributors should go round two and two, and 
take their provisions with them when visiting the 
country places, and refuse all invitations from the 
people to eat and drink, in order to cut off all occasions 
for the enemy to say we were influenced with a desire 
for the " loaves and fishes." 

I was exceedingly happy in having for my colleague 
in this enterprise Brother James Nixon, for he and I 
could work well together ; there was a harmony and 



LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 61 

congeniality of soul, and we were both fully in the 
faith of a present salvation. The district which fell 
to our lot to visit were the parts around Alsager Heath 
and Lawton salt-works, in the county of Cheshire. 

On the first day of going out, we called at many 
houses with the tracts and books, and on delivering 
them to the people in their houses we used to converse 
with them on the necessity of reading and praying, 
and getting to know the Lord, that when called from 
this world of trouble and toil, they might be saved into 
heaven, where there is no sorrow nor suffering. The 
people in reply to such remarks as these, would occa- 
sionally tell us that it was all very true. We then 
used to say, " Well, then, come, let us pray about it." 
We then would drop upon our knees, without the for- 
mality of asking for leave, and pray to God to save 
the people ; to give them light to see their condition, 
that, by true repentance and faith, they might escape 
hell and get to heaven. In this way we proceeded, 
and we met with considerable encouragement and 
success. 

In some of these periodical visits, we found vast 
numbers of people in a most lamentable condition of 
hardness and ignorance. When we used to fall down 
upon our knees to pray in their houses, some would 
perhaps kneel with us, but others would stand staring 
upon us with amazement ; others would proceed as if 
nothing was going on, sweeping the house, stirring the 
fire, eating their dinners or cooking them. But these 
things we did not suffer to chill our zeal or damp our 
ardour. My Brother Nixon and I had counted the 
cost ; we were prepared for cold indifference as well 
as active opposition ; and as we proceeded onwards, 
we felt happy in our work of faith and labour of love, 



62 LIFE OF 

and when weary and hungry, we frequently sat down 
under a hedge, and took refreshment with thankful 
hearts, which we had brought from home in our pockets ; 
praising God, whilst nature, all gay and beautiful, 
smiled around us, and the feathered songsters warbled 
their wild notes upon the balmy breezes of heaven. 
When we returned home at night, often exhausted, after 
having walked many miles, we had felt an indescribable 
pleasure in our bosoms, arising from a consciousness 
of the approbation of Heaven on our labours, and the 
success with which the Lord often visibly crowned them. 

At Lawton Heath, where God had blessed the tract- 
distribution in exciting inquiry and a desire for the 
great salvation, we established a prayer meeting. Seve- 
ral who came to this meeting behaved themselves very 
rudely, but many were affected, wept sorely, and ap- 
peared desirous to flee from the wrath to come. As 
we went on delivering tracts, praying in the people's 
houses, and talking to the inhabitants, the country 
became greatly moved. The people told each other 
of the men that went into dwelling-houses, praying 
without asking leave, refusing all refreshment, and how 
that they had a prayer-meeting at Lawton Heath, and 
the vast numbers that attended it. 

On these visits, finding a good work begun, we 
formed a class-meeting, and subsequently we got regular 
preaching established. The opposition which arose when 
preaching was established, was very galling. "When a 
brother was preaching, a rude fellow, accompanied with 
others, came into the meeting with a quart of ale, and 
handing it to him, bade him drink ; but the preacher 
said to him, " Take it to thy brother Dives in hell, and 
ask him to drink with thee ; for he cannot get a drop 
of water there to cool his tongue." 



WILLIAM CLOWES. OJ 

The rebels were very stormy and violent, but we 
began to hold a prayer- meeting, and then their fury 
rose almost to a pitch of madness ; they several times 
attempted to prostrate us on the floor as we were on 
our knees, but we continued firm in our resistance to 
the powers of eartli and hell. We had learned to work 
in a storm as well as in a calm, and our God ultimately 
assisted us to vanquish by persevering in our purpose ; 
and even at this meeting, and others which followed it, 
God awakened sinners, and led them to inquire what 
they must do to be saved. Numerous, as I have 
observed before, were the cases of darkness and igno- 
rance with which we came in contact. I remember we 
called at the house of an old man, and in telling him 
our business, he said, " What, you are Methodists ; but 
I am a churchman." " Well," I replied, " that is not 
very material ; the great matter is to get right with the 
Lord." The old man replied, " Christ has to die again." 
"No," I observed, "having died once he will die no 
more." We then dropped on our knees, prayed, and left 
the old man a tract suitable to his ignorant condition. 
The next party we talked with was one working in the 
potatoe field on the sabbath ; we prayed, gave a tract, 
and this individual was convinced and afterwards con- 
verted. 

The next house we entered into, on conversing 
with the mistress about turning to God, the master 
rushed forward and tore the tracts out of our hands, 
and dashed them to the ground. This poor man 
was not, however, permitted to repeat such an act 
again ; for in a short period he fell from a house-top, and 
became a cripple. At another house, on the sabbath, 
we found the people selling groceries. We proposed 
prayer in this instance. The father appeared reluctant, 



64 LIFE OF 

but the daughter yielded ; and she was soon after 
brought to God, and then she prevailed on her father 
to abandon Sunday trading. In another house, after 
talking to an old woman, we invited her to the class- 
meeting. She came ; and whilst talking with her on 
the necessity of being converted, she told us she had 
never sinned against God in all her life. I told her it 
was a great mercy she was out of hell, with such a 
deceitful and wicked heart. She then became highly 
offended, and declared she would not again expose her- 
self to such abuse. She then went to hear the Cal- 
vinists, but she soon returned, and told us she had 
never felt as she did whilst with us, and that it was a 
mercy she was out of hell with such a wicked heart as 
she had. Right earnestly, however, she began to seek 
the Lord, and he was found of her to the joy of her 
soul. 

On one occasion, whilst Brother James Nixon was 
visiting, he fell in with the officer of the salt-works, 
and he invited him to his house. On James' telling the 
officer his experience, the power of God fell with such 
mighty plenitude, that it shook the soul of this indi- 
vidual, and he began immediately to turn to God with 
all his heart. He opened his house for preaching, and 
a congregation was raised, and a society formed. Thus, 
on the barren and sterile land over which we ranged 
in the praying and tract- distribution, a mission was 
formed, large classes were raised, and two new chapels 
were built. I had the happiness of preaching in one 
of them before I finally left that part of the Lord's 
vineyard. To God be all the praise and glory for ever. 
Amen. 

At this period I made several excursions into Che- 
shire, taking appointments for the local preachers who 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 65 

met at my house, to which particular reference has 
already been made. At a lovefeast which was held in 
a barn of Mr. Bruse's, of Lea Hall, my old friends 
Daniel Shubotham and Matthias Bailey, from Har- 
riseahead, attended ; the speaking was accompanied 
with extraordinary unction ; numbers were strongly 
affected, and an earnest desire for the great salvation 
became extensively felt in these parts of the country. 

It was whilst in this neighbourhood that I became 
informed of a meeting held on the forest of Delamere, 
in the house of an old man of the name of James Craw- 
foot, who had a great reputation for holiness and being 
acquainted with the deep things of God. As I felt 
peculiarly inclined to go to this meeting, a person of 
the name of Harden offered to accompany me. We 
accordingly met by appointment, and proceeded on 
our way to the forest. On the road, in passing through 
a village, a circumstance occurred which may be no- 
ticed. It being the time when the farmers had finished 
what is called "marling," a number of wild young fel- 
lows had formed themselves into a circle in an open 
space, as was their custom at these times, and were 
shouting and bending their backs, and acting in the most 
ludicrous manner imaginable. The Spirit of God came 
upon me so powerfully that I rushed in among them and 
shouted " Glory to God," and exhorted them to shout 
" Glory to God," and give themselves to him, saying, 
that would be a more manly and by far a more honour- 
able course than the foolish and despicable one they 
were now pursuing. The great fellows were instantly 
struck with astonishment, and they stood staring at me 
as I passed on to overtake my friend, who had got a 
long way before me, and who expressed his surprise 
that the wild fellows had not turned to and killed me. 



66 LIFE OF 

But my friend was not aware of my constant practice 
to reprove and exhort all that I ever came in contact 
with, whoever they might be, and in whatever circum- 
stances, being instant in season and out of season. On 
our arrival at the house where the meeting was held, 
we found ourselves just in time. It began always 
about seven o'clock on a Saturday evening. The house 
was situated in a very lonely part of the forest, but 
vast numbers of people attended. The old man began 
the service by reading some passages out of the Holy 
Scriptures, then singing and prayer followed ; the old 
man invited any to speak on the things of God that felt 
liberty. A respectable-looking farmer's wife then arose 
and gave an exhortation, accompanied with a powerful 
influence from on high. It was truly good to be there ; 
my soul felt it to be so. The meeting was thus carried 
on with prayer and exhortation until about twelve 
o'clock, and then it concluded. Some of the people, 
before they departed, took a little tea ; and my friend 
and I departed also about two o'clock in the morning. 
I was greatly satisfied and benefited by my visit to this 
meeting. The next day I heard the old man preach in 
the open-air, and afterwards had a private conversation 
with him, the result of which was a more fixed and 
determined resolution to seek a knowledge of the deeper 
things of God. 

After I came home to Tunstall, Brother H. Bourne 
paid me a visit. In the course of conversation I told 
him the particulars of my excursion to the forest, and 
he felt strongly inclined to go himself; I told him that 
when he decided to undertake the journey thither, I 
should be happy to accompany him. 

A short period after this, a very remarkable indi- 
vidual made his appearance in this country of the name 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 67 

of Lorenzo Dow, who preached and spoke a little on 
the American camp-meetings. He preached in the 
Methodist chapel at Burslem at four o'clock in the 
afternoon ; I went to hear him. His manner was re- 
markably singular, but his preaching was uncommonly 
pointed ; before he concluded the service, he brought 
the people into covenant, by a show of hands, to meet 
him at a throne of grace, twice a day, to pray for a 
revival of religion. 

When the meeting was over, he went down to the 
house of Mr. Summernelds, a local preacher, to get a 
little refreshment. Along with some others I went 
down also to have some conversation with him, but 
there was little opportunity, as he had to preach at 
seven o'clock the same evening at Tunstall, and then 
to start off for Congleton, a distance of about nine 
miles. As he had to preach at Congleton the next 
morning at five, and again at nine o'clock, I went to 
hear him. I walked the whole distance, and arrived 
in time for the service at five o'clock. In his sermon 
he told us an anecdote which was very affecting, and 
addressed a woman who sat in the gallery of the chapel, 
warning her, and exhorting her to do her duty, and to 
be faithful in the discharge of it. At the preaching at 
nine o'clock I observed Brothers H. and J. Bourne, 
and they purchased some tracts of the preacher when 
he had concluded. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Spirit of religious enterprise awakened — First camp-meeting on Mow- 
hill announced — Morning unfavourable — Joins a party in prayer — 
Sermon preached — Flag hoisted — Addresses the people — Jones, of 
Burslem — Progress of the camp-meeting — Person from Ireland ex- 
horts — Edward Anderson — The day becomes favourable — Four 
preaching stands occupied — Great rejoicing — Converting power very 
great — Termination of the meeting — Observations — Norton camp- 
meeting announced — Account drawn up by H. Bourne — Visits 
James Crawfoot, accompanied by H. Bourne — Second camp-meeting 
on Mow-hill — Labours of James Nixon. 

Thus circumstances of a peculiar character following 
each other, accompanied with a powerful spirit of en- 
terprise and zeal, it was fully determined to have a 
camp-meeting on Mow-hill. It was accordingly given 
out to be held on Sunday, May 31, 1807, to commence 
at six o'clock in the morning, if the weather proved 
favourable ; but if it should be unfavourable, no camp- 
meeting was to be expected. 

On the Saturday evening prior to the intended meet- 
ing, I went up to the house of my friend Daniel Shu- 
botham, and slept there all night, in order that I might 
be ready for the camp-meeting next morning. 

The morning was unfavourable ; it was rainy ; never- 
theless, I resolved to proceed ; and on my arrival at the 
hill, about six o'clock, I found a small group of people 
assembled under a wall, singing. I immediately joined 
them, and several of us engaged in prayer. When we 
had concluded the singing and praying services, a Peter 
Bradburn preached a sermon, and an individual from 



LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES, 69 

the town of Macclesfield followed with another. The 
people now began to be strongly affected, and we began 
another praying service. During the progress of these 
labours the people kept increasing in large numbers ; 
but as they came from various places to the hill, many 
were at a loss to know to what point they should make. 

At last a person of the name of Taylor, from Tunstall, 
suggested that a flag, or something of that kind, should 
be hoisted as a guide to direct the coming multitudes 
where the religious services were going on ; because, he 
observed, that himself and others had wandered over a 
large space of ground that morning to no purpose, for 
want of some rallying point. Accordingly, a Mr. Ed- 
ward Anderson, from Kilham, in Yorkshire, unfurled 
something like a flag, on a long pole, in a conspicuous 
and elevated position, which became the centre of at- 
traction. It was about this time that I stood up on the 
stand to address the people. I began my address by 
giving the people a statement of my Christian ex- 
perience, and an explanation of the motives which had 
influenced me to attend the meeting ; then I followed 
with an exhortation for all immediately to look to the 
Lord by faith for a present salvation ; and whilst I was 
warning sinners to flee from the wrath to come, a man 
from Burslem, near Tunstall, of the name of Jones, 
from among the crowd cried out, "That 's right, Clowes ; 
clear thy blood of them." 

During this period of the meeting the unction of the 
Holy Spirit of God rose with great power, and several 
appeared in distress, and the praying labourers engaged 
most zealously in pleading with the mourners. But 
this movement in the meeting did not stay the word of 
exhortation ; it rather gave it greater energy and effect. 
Accordingly, a second stand was fixed, and a person 



70 LIFE OF 

from Ireland gave an exhortation ; the substance of it 
was, that it was necessary we should praise God for 
our privileges as English Christians, and to use them 
to the glory of God, and to pity and pray for the poor 
and spiritually-degraded Irish. After this individual 
had concluded, Mr. Edward Anderson, already men- 
tioned, followed in addressing the meeting. He read 
us a part of his life and experience, which was written 
in verse, interspersed with sentences of exhortation. 

As the people still kept increasing, it was resolved to 
fix a third stand, and in the afternoon a fourth was 
erected, and all were occupied with preachers, preaching 
at the same time ; the day was now very fine, and the 
crowds of people immensely large. 

The first day's praying on Mow-hill presented at 
this period a most magnificent and sublime spectacle. 
Four preachers simultaneously crying to sinners to flee 
from the wrath to come ; thousands listening, affected 
with "thoughts that breathed, and words that burned;" 
many in deep distress, and others pleading with Heaven 
in their behalf; some praising God aloud for the great 
things which were brought to pass ; whilst others were 
rejoicing in the testimony which they had received, 
that their sins, which were many, had been all forgiven. 

The camp-meeting continued full of glory and con- 
verting power. About four o'clock in the afternoon the 
numbers of people were prodigiously large ; but after 
this time many began to move off the ground and to re- 
tire homewards ; yet the power of the Highest continued 
with undiminished force and effect until the very last. 
Towards the conclusion the services were principally 
carried on by praying companies, and at the close, 
which took place about half-past eight o'clock in the 
evening, several souls were set at liberty. 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 71 

At the termination of this memorable day I felt ex- 
cessively exhausted, as I had laboured from the com- 
mencement of the meeting in the morning until eight 
o'clock in the evening, with very little cessation ; but 
the glory that filled my soul on that day far exceeds 
my powers of description to explain. Much of the 
good wrought at this great meeting remains ; but the 
full amount of that good eternity alone will develop 
to the myriads of the angelic and sainted inhabitants 
who will everlastingly laud the Eternal Majesty on 
account of the day's praying on Mow-hill. 

I may here briefly observe on the circumstances 
connected with the first Mow-hill camp-meeting. It 
was, as I have remarked, before announced, that a 
camp-meeting would be held on the 31st of May, if 
the weather was favourable ; but none, if the day 
proved unfavourable. Now the morning was rainy, 
which had the effect of detaining several who were ex- 
pected to be the 'principal supporters of the meeting ; 
but when the da}r became fine, they made their ap- 
pearance. 

It was also announced at the first camp-meeting that 
another would be held on the same ground on the 19th 
of July, and another likewise at Norton on the 23rd 
of August. The design of these meetings was to coun- 
teract the effects resulting from the "wakes," or annual 
parish feasts, at which much riot and sensuality usually 
took place, and at such seasons not unfrequently pro- 
fessors of religion were drawn from their stedfastness. 
To stay the torrent of evil, and to preserve God's 
people, and to effect the conversion of sinners to God, 
were the ruling motives that influenced us in arranging 
these camp-meetings. 

Shortly after the first meeting took place, Brother 



72 LIFE OF 

H. Bourne drew up an account of it, and, if I mistake 
not, likewise the arrangements which were to be ob- 
served at the two meetings which were to follow. He 
brought the manuscript for me to read before taking it 
to press, and he stated he had read it to his friends at 
Harriseahead. 

We now carried our intention into effect, which has 
been mentioned already, in paying a visit to the old 
man of the forest of Delamere, James Crawfoot. Our 
object in this journey was to distribute the printed 
pamphlets on the camp-meetings, in order to give no- 
tice of them as extensively as possible, and to have 
some spiritual conversation with the old man on the 
deep things of God ; for our anxious wish was to know 
more of the mind of the Spirit, in order more fully to 
effect the salvation of sinners. 

Accordingly, we went down, and stopped one night, 
and had much conversation on the things of God, and 
the way in which sinners are brought to God. The old 
man attempted to open some matters in the scriptures 
which we did not fully understand ; however, we were 
greatly profited and blessed in this interview. As we 
stayed all night, we expected to have renewed the con- 
versation the next morning previous to our departure, 
but there was not an opportunity ; we therefore re- 
turned home. 

Nothing very material transpired further until a short 
time prior to the second Mow-hill camp-meeting, which 
had been fixed for the 1 9th of July. Brother H. Bourne 
called upon me, and desired me to accompany him to 
purchase some pottery articles for the accommodation 
and use of the people at the approaching camp-meeting, 
as it was intended to erect a few tents, into which the 
people were to retire for the purpose of refreshment. 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 73 

Accordingly, I went with Brother Bourne, and the 
articles were bought, and paid for by H. Bourne, at the 
works where I was employed, and dispatched to Mow- 
hill. When the day arrived on which the second camp- 
meeting was held, vast numbers of people attended, 
and the meeting continued for three days. The in- 
fluence that accompanied the word was great, and many 
souls were converted to God. I laboured but little at 
this meeting, but I felt equally interested in its success, 
and defended it with all my might against all its op- 
ponents. My friend James Nixon laboured with extra- 
ordinary power and effect. I was, with many others, 
greatly struck with the solemnity and power which 
attended his ministrations. In giving out that hymn 
which begins with the words, " Stop, poor sinner," 
every word appeared to shake the multitude like the 
wind the forest leaves. Truly the word was with power, 
with the Holy Ghost, and with much assurance. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Christian labours — Prejudices — Chapel a cock-pit — Preacher offended 
— Conversation with superintendent — Labours with James Crawfoot 
— Mrs. Richardson, of Warrington — Slavery — Rissley — Conversa- 
tion with James Crawfoot — Conversation with H. Bourne — Singular 
case of demoniac possession of old Jenny Hall, of Harriseahead — 
First Ramsor camp-meeting — Preaches the first time from a text — 
Preaches a trial sermon — Seized with an extraordinary feeling — 
Visits with H. Bourne the old man of the forest — James Crawfoot 
supported as a missionary by H. and J. Bourne — Progress of the 
missionary. 

At this period, assisted more than ever from above, I 
pushed on the work of the Lord in my classes, in prayer- 
meetings, &c. Many a time I felt humbled in the dust 
before God to hear the people in the love-feasts and in 
other meetings, in speaking their experience, attribute 
their conversions and getting good, under God, to my 
instrumentality. The feelings of gratitude, joy, and as- 
tonishment, filled my soul in such a manner, whilst I lis- 
tened to the recital of these things, that I often gave vent 
to my intense feelings, and shouts of praise and glory 
my lips did utter. But there were several persons who 
did not relish these demonstrations of thankfulness to 
God ; and I was occasionally told to. cease my noise in 
the love-feasts, as by my shouts of glory I made the 
chapel like a cock-pit. But the more this sort of dis- 
approbation was expressed towards me, the more the 
people who had been blessed through my labours re- 
joiced aloud, and the more I was also constrained to 
give glory to God. 



LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 75 

One of the travelling preachers felt himself so much 
offended that he complained to the superintendent, and 
he came to me and desired me to ask pardon of Mr. 
R. S. for insulting him. I told him I should have no 
objection of asking pardon if he would have the kind- 
ness to tell me who I had offended ; that I was not 
aware that I had committed any offence, and until it 
was made to appear that I had intentionally offered 
an insult, asking pardon did not appear to be necessary 
or called for. I observed that I supposed shouting 
glory to God in the chapel was what had been con- 
strued into a personal offence, but that I could not 
help. Shouting and praising God I did from a prin- 
ciple of duty ; God had done great things for me, and 
I was constrained to give him glory. If my conduct 
did not square with my profession, rebuking me and 
putting me down would be in character ; but I certainly 
thought that, as I did not shout in the chapel to offend 
Mr. S., (for I shouted glory in the streets as well,) he 
ought to be glad, and to shout glory along with me, that 
all united as the heart of one man, we might advance 
the cause of God in our neighbourhood and country ; 
and I remarked further, that as I did not see the pro- 
priety of soliciting pardon, having done no offence, 
yet I was willing on the first opportunity to shake 
hands with Mr. S., as a proof I loved him, and enter- 
tained no feelings in my heart towards him but those 
of kindness, and that when this was stated to him, I 
hoped he would cherish no other sentiments towards 
me but those of Christian love. 

The superintendent preacher, who manifested all pos- 
sible affection and courtesy, said he was glad to learn 
that God had done so much for me, and that I was to 
e 2 



76 LIFE OF 

go on in the name of the Lord ; and thus ended the 
matter. 

After this I took another excursion to see the old 
man of the forest, with whom I had many blessed 
seasons in conversing on the things of God, and in 
conjunction with whom I laboured extensively in the 
neighbourhood, and it pleased God to own our labours. 
On one occasion I accompanied him as far as War- 
rington, in Lancashire, on a religious visit. We had 
glorious meetings at Mr. Eaton's, at London Bridge, 
and at Mrs. Richardson's, in Bridge-street. The Lord 
made us useful in the conversion of the soul of Mrs. 
Richardson, and when the Lord made her free by de- 
livering her from the slavery of the devil, she deter- 
mined to make others free as far as she had the power. 
Being a West India proprietor, and having several 
slaves, she immediately gave them their freedom. This 
was a great sacrifice in a temporal point of view ; but 
when true Christianity assumes the empire of the soul, 
it proclaims, instantly, war against tyranny and op- 
pression in all their forms, and it inspires magnanimity 
and real greatness. If all the West India slave-holders 
had been converted, they would not have insisted on 
compensation, and the people in this country would 
never have been called upon to pay twenty millions of 
money for the emancipation of the slaves ; and if true 
Christianity were enjoyed by the Americans, they 
would soon arise and erase the dark stain of slavery 
from their country. 

From Warrington we went down to Rissley, and 
found a people very singular in their notions and man- 
ner of worship, which we did not at all admire ; never- 
theless, the Lord made us useful among them, as we 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 77 

proceeded in our straightforward manner in preaching 
a present, free, and full salvation. 

It was whilst on this excursion, that I had some 
particular conversation with the old man with reference 
to his circumstances in life. He appeared to think that 
as God had taken away his wife, and as he had a talent 
in bringing sinners to God, if he had a little support, 
he should prefer being in the Lord's vineyard altogether ; 
and he observed that he thought H. Bourne and I, with 
himself, could work very well together in bringing 
sinners to the knowledge of the truth. Nothing more 
was said however on this subject until the next time I 
saw Brother Bourne. We talked on this matter freely, 
and Brother Bourne thought that as he had a little 
money, he felt inclined to try the old man for a quarter, 
and it would be seen if his way opened in doing good, 
and saving souls as an instrument in the hands of 
God. 

I will now take the liberty, in breaking the chain of 
my narrative, to introduce a circumstance which should 
have been noticed before. It is the singular case of old 
Jenny Hall, of Harriseahead. She was one of the 
members of Daniel Shubotham's class, and a very 
happy and valiant soul in the cause of God, until she 
fell in evil reasonings, and by giving way to the 
suggestions of the devil, she lost her confidence and 
sunk into despair. Subsequently to this, such was the 
condition of this poor woman, that occasionally she 
would curse and swear, and throw herself into the most 
violent paroxysms. On many occasions it was very 
dangerous to be in the house with her ; at one time 
such was her violence that her husband narrowly 
escaped with his life. Her conversation became a com- 
pound of blasphemy and uncleanness, which was not 



78 LIFE OF 

fit to hear ; she was therefore, as I understood, taken 
to the poor-house, and in the periods of her violence 
they had to bind her down to the bed with chains. 

Daniel Shubotham sent me a message to my resi- 
dence at Tunstail to come up to Harriseahead, and see if 
by united faith and prayer the woman could be de- 
livered from the powers of darkness. Accordingly, I 
went up, and Daniel Shubotham, T. Cotton, and my- 
self had a round or two in prayer in her behalf, but we 
did not succeed. We therefore agreed to have a special, 
fast, to engage more praying labourers, and to fix a 
specific period on which to meet to pray with the 
woman. Four of us especially entered into this mat- 
ter with all our hearts by fasting and secret prayer ; 
we accordingly went up to Harriseahead on a Saturday 
evening to hold the intended meeting. They had 
brought the woman home to be present to be prayed 
with, but before we arrived she had given them the 
slip ; however, we stopped all night, and in the morn- 
ing they found her wandering in the fields, and brought 
her home. When she saw us she cried out, " It is no 
use, Dan, the devil will fetch me away before morning, 
body and soul." Daniel Shubotham replied, " The 
devil is a liar, Jenny ; you told me that before, and you 
are here still. We are come to pray for you, and we 
will have you delivered from the powers of darkness in 
the name of the Lord," so we immediately entered 
into the conflict — Daniel Shubotham, Thomas Cot- 
ton, William Summerfield, and William Clowes. The 
struggle was great, but our united confidence took hold 
on God, and the Divine power descended in a mighty 
stream upon us all. The woman, as we proceeded, 
became agitated in a remarkable manner ; her body 
appeared singularly convulsed, as if some internal 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 79 

power was rending her in pieces : her face was abso- 
lutely black, her throat rattled, and she foamed at the 
mouth, and appeared as if she would choke. We con-^ 
tinued, however, wrestling with the Almighty, and 
some of us began to be nearly exhausted ; to get a 
little relief, I threw off my coat, bound up my head 
with a handkerchief, and maintained along with my 
brethren the combat. Faith now began to rise ; we 
felt as if the heavens were rending, and God was 
amongst us. Then one began to adjure the devil in 
the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to come 
out of the woman ; immediately there was a sudden 
alteration, — her deliverance came, and she shouted 
glory. We shouted glory along with her, with such 
united power and vehemence that the noise was heard 
afar off. In a short time after this circumstance, I 
went up to the same place to learn how Jenny was 
going on ; Daniel Shubotham told me she stood her 
ground nobly, although the devil had made frequent 
thrusts at her ; she was completely changed, and 
generally happy in God. 

From this time, whenever I met Jenny Hall, if it 
was even in the market, she would seize me by the 
hand, heave it up as high as she could, and bring it 
down again, and cry aloud, " Glory to God ! O, Billy, 
how you prayed for me ! I shall never forget it ! Glory, 
glory |" About eighteen years subsequent to this event 
taking place, which I have detailed, I visited Jenny 
Hall, and found her living in the same place, happy in 
the Lord, and shouting glory. She told me she had 
never lost her faith, but lived constantly in the light of 
God's countenance. 

In resuming the chronological order of my narra- 
tive, the first Ramsor camp-meeting falls under my 



80 LTFE OF 

notice ; Brother H. Bourne and I went to that meeting. 
We started off on the Saturday, and several of the Har- 
riseahead friends came to our assistance. The meet- 
ing was principally carried on by praying services, a 
gracious and powerful unction attended it, and it was 
so much approved of and blessed to the conversion of 
souls, that another followed the month after, at which 
Brother Bourne and I attended. We began the meet- 
ing in the morning and concluded it about five o'clock 
in the evening. It was at this camp-meeting that I 
first ventured to take a text to preach from ; I had ex- 
horted for a long time, almost from my first setting 
out for heaven, for in filling up appointments for the 
local preachers I always gave exhortations, and was 
greatly blessed ; and great results followed this mode 
of my addressing the congregations ; but at the Ramsor 
camp-meeting I felt moved to take a text out of 1 John 
v. 12, " He that hath the Son hath life." In this line 
of addressing the people on the great truths of religion, 
God wrought also along with me, for my purpose was, 
that whatever I did to do it to the glory of God. 

Very shortly after this I was called upon by the 
superintendent of the Burslem circuit to preach a trial 
sermon before him in Tunstall chapel, which I did. 
He observed to me when I had concluded, " You have 
done very well ; but you will kill yourself." My name 
soon afterwards appeared on the preachers' plan, with 
appointments; these appointments I regularly supplied, 
as well as assisting at the camp-meetings held at dif- 
ferent places, such as Ramsor, Biddulph Moor, and 
at other parts of the country. At one of these camp- 
meetings a very extraordinary feeling came upon me, 
such as I never felt before nor since. I felt the word 
of God to burn in my soul like a flame of fire, and I 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 81 

could not help crying out whilst the preacher was 
preaching : when he had done, I sprang up and cried 
out for sinners to flee immediately from the wrath to 
come, and exhorted from that passage of scripture, 
" I am the Lord ; I change not ; therefore ye sons of 
Jacob are not consumed." God, on this occasion, 
shook many sinners to the heart. The sinners in Zion 
were afraid ; trembling seized the hypocrites ; whilst 
joy was in the tabernacles of the righteous. 

In a former part of these memoirs I have stated some 
particulars relative to James Crawfoot, the old man of 
the forest of Delamere, and his wish to enlarge the 
sphere of his usefulness. Brother Bourne and I went 
down again to visit him, and after spending some time 
at his house and in the neighbourhood very profitably, 
he came up with us to Tunstall to my house. The 
next day Brother Bourne took him up to Bemersley, 
where he resided with his brother James, and they 
agreed to give the old man ten shillings a week for 
three months; and the old man said that what money 
he should receive from friends should be payed over 
into the hands of H. and James Bourne, in order to 
make the matter easier with them ; and likewise the 
souls that should get converted under the old man's 
ministry should be advised to join any Christian de- 
nomination to which they were the most attached. 

Accordingly, James Crawfoot began his missionary 
career on the basis of this arrangement, (ten shillings 
per week,) and as at that period I had only about 
half employ in my line of business, not being allowed 
to make more than £1 2s. a week, which I could 
accomplish in three days or so, I joined the missionary 
in the neighbourhood and country around, and we did 
not labour in vain, nor spend our strength for nought. 
e 3 



82 LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 

The old man was very useful in winning souls to Jesus 
Christ, and in administering comfort and encourage- 
ment to believers ; consequently, his way opened 
greatly, and as he had a guinea or two put into his 
hand occasionally by the people, he handed over such 
sums to the Brothers Bourne accordingly, as he said 
he would do. After spending some time with us in 
the work of the Lord, he went down to his house at 
the forest, and laboured in that part with success ; and 
then he came up again and missioned onwards a while, 
his salary being continued, as before stated, a little 
while longer. 



CHAPTER IX. 

Uneasiness in the Burslem circuit on account of the camp-meetings— 
Name taken off preachers' plan — State of public feeling — Quarterly 
ticket withheld — Conduct of preacher in renewing tickets at Kids- 
grove — Leaders' meeting at Tunstall — Required to abandon camp- 
meetings — Expelled — Remarks— -Wesley — Mr. Smith, of Tunstall 
—Classes cling to their leader — Position of circumstances- — Goes 
out as a missionary, supported by James Nixon and Thomas Wood- 
north — Observations. 

About this time much uneasiness began to show 
itself among certain parties in the Burslem circuit on 
account of the camp-meetings and my attending them. 
Accordingly, in the June quarter of 1810, my name 
was omitted on the preachers' plan. This proceeding 
excited a strong ferment throughout the country, es- 
pecially amongst religious persons of different denomi- 
nations, who in strong terms expressed their disappro- 
bation of the preachers in carrying a measure of such 
an unconstitutional and intolerant character ; hence, 
invitations from all parts of the country flowed in upon 
me, soliciting me to preach, and offering me every 
encouragement in the name of the Lord. The travelling 
preachers in the Methodist New Connexion urged me 
to preach for them. I preached once in their chapel, 
and one soul was set at liberty. One of the official 
persons invited me to join their body ; but I observed 
I could do nothing as yet, but wait to lay my case 
fully before the Lord, for him to direct me in my pro- 
vidential way. 

At the September visitation my quarterly ticket as 



84 LIFE OF 

a member of society was withheld. When Mr. A., 
the travelling preacher, came to Kidsgrove to preach 
and renew the tickets, as the leader of the class I gave 
him my class paper to call over the names as usual ; 
but in calling over the names he passed by my name, 
which stood first on the paper, and called over the rest 
in order. In speaking to the people, he rebuked them 
for their liveliness in their way of worshipping and 
praising God ; and remarked, he supposed they acted 
as they had been taught. The night following, the 
same preacher, who was in a great measure a stranger, 
having but recently come into the circuit, preached in 
Tunstall, and afterwards called a leaders' meeting. I 
stopped at the meeting in my official character, and 
ventured to inquire of it what I had done amiss that 
my ticket had been withheld by the preacher, and my 
name left off the preachers' plan ; for no charge had 
been officially brought against me ; I therefore wished 
to know the reason of such singular proceedings. I 
was then told my name was left off the plan because 
I attended camp-meetings, contrary to the Methodist 
discipline, and that I could not be a preacher or leader 
amongst them unless I promised not to attend such 
meetings any more. I told the members of the meeting 
that I would promise to attend every appointment on 
the plan which should be put down for me, and to 
attend all the means of grace and ordinances of the 
church ; but to promise not to attend any more camp- 
meetings, that I could not conscientiously do, for God 
had greatly blessed me in these meetings, which were 
calculated for great usefulness ; and my motive for 
assisting in them was simply to glorify God, and bring 
sinners to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus. 
I was then told that I was no longer with them ; that 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 85 

the matter was settled. I therefore immediately de- 
livered up my class papers to the meeting, and became 
unchurched. 

" Of my Eden dispossess'd, 
The world was all before me where to choose 
My place of rest, and Providence my guide." 

The next day, when it became known that I was 
removed from the society, and the reasons which had 
led to such a result, a general feeling of indignation, 
astonishment, and sympathy was expressed. The pro- 
ceeding was seen at once, by candid and considerate 
people, to be of a harsh and inconsistent character ; 
for the church to which these rulers belonged had it- 
self sprung into existence through the irregular and 
zealous efforts of its founder, John Wesley, who de- 
parted strangely from the order and discipline of the 
church, of which he was a member, in preaching in the 
open air to thousands of people in different parts of 
the United Kingdom. For these noble exertions in 
labouring to save souls from sin and hell, departing 
from what was called, in his day, " order," he was 
treated by the rulers of his church with unmitigated 
censure and opposition ; and because I imitated the 
heroic example of Wesley, by assisting in open-air 
labours, preaching the gospel to thousands on certain 
occasions, and which open-air meetings the people were 
pleased to designate camp-meetings, I experienced a simi- 
lar fate, and was driven from the bosom of the church. 
Among the number of those who felt strongly on 
account of what had taken place, was the venerable 
John Smith, of Tunstall ; he went about telling the 
people what had been done. " They have turned Billy 
out of society; but he shall preach in my kitchen." 
" Billy is the best preacher among them ; they are 
vexed because Billy can outpreach them ; but Billy 



86 LIFE OF 

shall preach in my kitchen." And so it was ; for Mr. 
Smith's kitchen became our preaching-place till the 
day of his death; and many will have to bless God 
to all eternity that it became, on many an occasion 
now well remembered, " The house of God, and the 
gate of heaven." 

A few days after this, some of the members of my 
two late classes, that at Kidsgrove, and the other at 
Tunstall, came to my house, and manifested the greatest 
trouble on account of the treatment of their leader. 
They asked me what was to be done with them. I 
told them that I was considered no longer a member, 
leader, or preacher in the society ; they would have to 
choose new leaders, and leave me to the care and 
providence of God, for I had no doubt He would direct 
me by his counsel. They then asked me if I had any 
objections still to instruct them, and lead them in the 
way to heaven. I told them I should generally be at 
home when disengaged from business ; and if they 
thought it was the will of God to come to my house, I 
should give them what advice and instruction I was 
able to impart in the name of the Lord. They there- 
fore came accordingly ; and James Nixon, Thomas 
Woodnorth, William Morris, and Samuel Barber, left 
the Methodist society, and came along with them. The 
number of members in both the classes might, I think, 
amount to between thirty and forty. We had now Mr. 
Smith's kitchen for a preaching place, and we went on 
opening fresh places, and preaching Christ and him 
crucified. This new movement, with the important 
charge which had devolved upon me in such a singular 
manner, brought me into great exercise of soul ; and 
what would follow I could not tell. But, 

" God moves in a mysterious way 
His wonders to perform." 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 87 

The position of affairs now stood so prominent and 
peculiar with us, that James Nixon and Thomas Wood- 
north were moved in their minds to submit a proposi- 
tion to me, in the affirmative of which I entirely con- 
curred ; it was, that if I would leave my employment, 
and go out in the Lord's vineyard altogether, they 
would give me out of their wages five shillings a week 
each. I observed that I should take time, and lay the 
matter before God in prayer, and also before my wife, 
for my present employment seemed to me a very con- 
temptible one to that of being engaged in saving souls 
from perishing. The sacrifice which I should have to 
make was to me of trifling importance, although at that 
time I made £1. 2s. in about three or four days, and 
shortly I should have had full liberty to work the whole 
week, which would have augmented my income. The 
sacrifice to my wife I was aware would be felt ; as ten 
shillings a week, the stipulated sum which I had to re- 
ceive as a missionary, was but a limited allowance to 
that which she had been accustomed to receive, besides 
giving me up to go on missionary excursions for long 
periods. However, after much prayer she consented to 
leave the matter with myself and the Lord. Believing 
my way was thus clear, I gave notice to my master to 
quit his employ ; after a slight opposition to this he 
gave way ; so then, in a certain and important sense, I 
bade the world adieu. 



CHAPTER X. 

Journal — Chain of circumstances — Missions fresh places — Goes into 
Derbyshire — Interview -with H. Bourne — Labours for souls — Travail 
in birth — Boyleston — Remarkable conversions — Rodsley — Occur- 
rence at tea-table — Family visiting — Arrives at Tunstall — Goes into 
Cheshire and Lancashire, accompanied by James Crawfoot — War- 
rington — Is waylaid — Missionaries' treatment — Feelings — Missions 
onwards — Love-feast in Mr. Smith's kitchen — Mr. Steele expelled 
the Methodist society — Review — Standing in detached parties- 
Gradual union takes place — Quarterly tickets first given — People 
anxious to support the cause — James Crawfoot and William Clowes 
first travelling preachers — Personal circumstances — First church 
meeting at Mr. Steele's house — Subjects of discussion — Mr. Steele 
first circuit-steward — The second written plan — Remarks— First re- 
port of the Connexion. 

Called now by a chain of providential circum- 
stances into an unlimited range of missionary labour, I 
felt determined to bring every energy of body and mind 
to bear on the enterprise, to endure hardness as a good 
soldier, and on the battle-field to die with my armour 
buckled on me. Advancing therefore to the front of the 
confederated powers of hell and earth, I attacked the 
barriers of ignorance and sin ; and Talk-o'th'-Hill, 
Butt Lane, Shelton, and Hanley Green, surrendered ; 
these places I missioned successively. I also preached 
frequently at Norton, where we subsequently formed a 
society. After this, having an invitation into Derby- 
shire from the last Ramsor camp-meeting, held June 
3rd, 1810, I went down thither, and stayed some time 
with my Ramsor friends, and then proceeded on my way 
to the residence of a certain farmer who had attended 



LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 89 

the Ramsor meeting. I entered the house with the 
salutation of peace, and at once felt great liberty in 
speaking to the different members of the family in the 
name of the Lord. I had not been very long in the 
house before Brother H. Bourne came, and in the mean 
time, the master of the house had gone to bring in a 
woman who lived in the neighbourhood, whom he had 
known for some time to be in great distress on account 
of her soul. The farmer had got to entertain such an 
opinion of us with respect to the power of faith, that 
he thought that we could convert any one that might 
be brought before us. We felt this matter to be a very 
weighty one ; it was to both of us a severe trial of faith 
which lay upon us. The woman was truly penitent, 
and wanted deliverance, and we felt it our duty to call 
upon God to loose the captive exile, and to comfort the 
mourner. Accordingly, whilst one of us pointed the 
convinced soul to the great Atonement, the other waited 
upon God in the exercise of faith, taking hold on the 
promises of God ; whilst we unitedly moved forward in 
this manner, the power of God fell upon the woman ; 
she cried aloud for mercy ; God immediately took away 
her chain, and then we had a loud shout of victory 
through the blood of the Lamb. The woman invited 
us to come to her house on the morrow to take a cup 
of tea, and to convert her husband. This we felt to be 
another heavy exercise, but as God had wrought signs 
and wonders by our faith, we durst not refuse the 
woman's invitation. We went, therefore, the next day, 
and proceeded in the same line of waiting on the Lord. 
He made bare his arm, and saved the husband also, 
and he in his turn was made the honoured instrument 
in striving to save others, for he became a local preacher 
and class-leader afterwards. 



90 LIFE OF 

The news soon spread rapidly and extensively that 
there were two men in the country that could convert 
anybody, and we were soon introduced into a respect- 
able house at Boyleston to convert the family. We 
went on in the same manner as before stated ; the 
trial was great, the labour of Zion was heavy on us, 
but God confirmed his own word which we spoke ; for 
the master of the house fell down upon the floor, and 
cried out in the disquietude of his spirit, and God 
healed the bones that were broken. The wife was also 
arrested by the power of God, and brought to feel that 
God is rich in mercy to every one that believeth. The 
old grandfather was likewise awakened to seek the sal- 
vation of his soul; he gave us a plot of ground to build 
a chapel on, in which chapel we afterwards established 
a Sunday-school. It was not long before the master of 
the house died in the faith ; his loss in the neighbour- 
hood where he resided was felt to be very great, as he 
had been, during his religious career, distinguished for 
his active and pious labours. 

A few days after these circumstances transpired, I 
went to a place of the name of Rodsley, where I was 
invited to take tea at a farm-house. Whilst the people 
were preparing tea, I inwardly waited on the Lord ; 
sitting on a chair, the power and glory of God came 
down into my soul in such a manner, that I opened my 
mouth and said to the people who were busily occupied 
in preparing for the body, " I think there will not be 
much tea taken here, this afternoon." So when the 
preparation was complete, I rose to solicit a blessing 
upon what was provided ; and whilst calling upon God, 
the power descended in such a mighty stream, that the 
people fell to the floor; we then prayed until it was 
time for me to go to my preaching appointment at 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 91 

Hollington. The tea stood still on the table till it was 
cold ; so my impression was found to be correct, that 
little tea would be taken that day. At Hollington I 
arrived just in time, and preached to a large congre- 
gation, and God again confirmed his word. 

But I may here observe that the greatest tokens of 
the Divine mercy were displayed at this time of my 
ministerial career, not in the public means of grace, but 
in visiting families, and in praying from house to house. 
After labouring in the word and doctrine for some time 
in these parts, I returned to Tunstall, and found my 
brethren going on very well, and prospering in the 
Lord. I therefore took another missionary excursion 
into Cheshire and Lancashire, accompanied with the 
old man of the forest, James Crawfoot. 

At Mr. Eaton's, at London Bridge, we called, and 
had some powerful religious services in the bosom of 
his family, a family the best ordered that I ever saw. 
At Mrs. Richardson's we were also kindly received, and 
had the pleasure to find that she was prospering in the 
grace of God. From Warrington I proceeded to preach 
at several places in the country. In some instances I was 
but indifferently treated ; at one place they threw water 
on me whilst preaching, and created much disturbance. 
On my way back to Warrington, a distance of seven 
miles, I was waylaid ; the rebels rushed upon me sud- 
denly, and threw stones, and clods of dirt ; but although 
they flew all around me, I was untouched ; the darkness 
of the night prevented their taking sure aim, I therefore 
escaped unhurt. During this attack 1 shouted glory to 
God with all my might, and I verily believe God helped 
me with my shouts, and confounded my persecutors, for 
after roaring and bellowing like bulls for some time I 
suddenly lost them, and arrived safely, but weary, at my 



92 LIFE OF 

lodgings. At another place upon this missionary tour 
I was but coldly treated, and began to experience a few 
of those trials and hardships which belong to the mis- 
sionary work. After preaching and labouring very 
hard, I was put into a cold room ; the bed stood under 
a window, the half of which had been knocked out, 
and it being a cold snowy night, in the morning I found 
a considerable quantity of snow in the room, and on 
the bed. When I arose, and was summoned to break- 
fast, matters had not very materially improved; I was 
served with a portion of milk and water porridge ; 
whilst I was trying to eat them, a great blustering 
woman entered the house, and staring at me a minute, 
she began and poured upon me a volley of abuse, and pro- 
tested that I was after nothing but my belly. After this 
rough encounter I took a solitary walk out of doors, and 
as I walked along I reflected on the comfortable home, 
and wife and friends I had left behind me at Tunstall ; 
and as I thought on these things I wept, but still I felt 
my heart, with respect to the work of God, as invulnera- 
ble as a rock, and as unmoved as a mountain. I knew I 
did not labour in vain, and however numerous the 
privations I endured, yet my soul was happy in God, 
and souls were converted, which was best of all. 
I preached several times in Warrington after this, and 
had blessed times and great success. 

I then hastened back to Tunstall, for I felt that it 
would not be well for me to be away too long from my 
friends there ; I therefore laboured among them for 
some time, and, in conjunction with my friends and 
fellow labourers, James Nixon and Thomas Woodnorth, 
opened several fresh places, such as Goldenhill, Lawton 
Heath, Englesea Brook, Copenhall, andRoggen Row. 
Another excursion I then took, and preached at Kings- 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 93 

ley, Ramsor, and Wootton, and other places. I also 
visited again Boylstone, Rodsley, and Hollington ; at 
these places God wrought by his word, and my toils 
were amply rewarded, for at these villages we subse- 
quently formed societies. 

When I returned to Tunstall the work was still pro- 
gressing, and on Good Friday, in Mr. Smith's kitchen, 
I held our first love-feast. On this occasion some of 
our old friends, the Methodists, supposing that Mr. 
Steele had attended the love-feast, (which was a mis- 
take, for he had not,) convened a meeting, and abso- 
lutely turned him out of the Society for it. Mr. Steele 
was a very influential person ; he was the leader of two 
classes, a chapel steward, and superintendent of a large 
Sunday school. On the Sunday morning after this 
rash and extraordinary act was committed, Mr. Steele 
went to open the Sunday-school as usual, when one 
of the officials ordered him out of the pulpit ; he im- 
mediately submitted to this authority, and was about to 
withdraw, when nearly all the teachers and scholars 
rose to follow their superintendent. The whole school 
was then a scene of confusion and disorder. After they 
had followed Mr. Steele out of the school, he exhorted 
them to return to the school, stating that perhaps some- 
thing would be done in the course of the week. During 
the week, Mr. Boden, a master potter, having a large 
unoccupied room, offered it to teach the scholars in, 
and this offer was accepted. We after this applied to 
Mr. Boden for permission to have Sunday preaching in 
the room, which was immediately granted; and I had 
the honour and delight, along with Richard Bay ley, of 
opening Sunday preaching in Tunstall, a place famous in 
the annals of the Primitive Methodists, and which place 
became the head of the first circuit in the Connexion. 



94 LIFE OF 

The two classes which Mr. Steele led continued to 
come to him as usual for spiritual instruction ; he de- 
sired them to join other classes, or to elect fresh leaders, 
as he was no longer a recognized member of the Metho- 
dist body ; but in this they did not hearken to his 
voice. At this period Mr. Steele's two classes, with the 
two under my care, might amount to about seventy 
members. 

In reviewing the events which transpired in the years 
1810 and 1811, and which have been briefly detailed, 
it will be seen their importance was very great, as 
standing in connexion with the rise of the Primitive 
_ Methodists. In March, 1810, Hugh and James Bourne 
took upon themselves the care of a class at Stanley. 
In September, in the same year, I was constrained to 
accept the entire charge of two classes ; and in Decem- 
ber, I went out as an accredited and regular missionary, 
supported by the assistance of James Nixon and Thomas 
Woodnorth, as before referred to. In the following 
year, April 12th, 1811, James Steele was expelled from 
church fellowship ; and his two classes he was neces- 
sitated to lead as usual. 

Thus it will be seen that, at this period, we stood in 
separate and detached parties, without any particular 
bond of union or organization, not having in any shape 
assumed the connexional form, or become a branch 
of the visible church. We thus, each and all of us, 
pressed after the salvation of sinners in separate lines 
of action, and pursued the mission work with the ut- 
most ardour. I assisted Brothers Hugh and James 
Bourne, and their missionary, James Crawfoot, with 
their mission appointments at Lask Edge, Tean, Woot- 
ton, Hamsor, Colden Low, and Stanley ; and they as- 
sisted us with our mission places, which were about 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 95 

eight in number. But several places distant which we 
visited, and at which many souls were saved, the fruits 
were gathered by other societies. Thus we went for- 
ward, and as success attended all our efforts in the 
classes and mission department, union and concentra- 
tion gradually took place in carrying on the work of 
the Lord which had thus begun, and which none of us 
ever supposed would become a distinct denomination. 
The work may be considered to have assumed the re- 
gular connexional feature amongst us on May 30th, 
1811, for then quarterly society tickets were ordered to 
be printed and given to the members of all the classes, 
and regular visitations of the societies to take place. 
Previously to the above date, Brother H. Bourne came 
down to Tunstall, and stated to us, that if we thought 
proper to have quarterly tickets to give to the members 
of our classes, Francis Horobin, of Itamsor, would 
pay for the printing of them. After some discussion 
on the propriety of this measure, we decided to have 
them ; and they were accordingly printed, with the 
date of May 30, 1811. 

But although we gave the classes, thus drawn to- 
gether and united, tickets, we did not receive from the 
members any money ; but in this we soon found we 
were crossing the wishes of the people, for they felt 
desirous to acknowledge the goodness of God by con- 
tributing to the support of his cause. It therefore soon 
became apparent to us all, that it was right and scrip- 
tural to accept the free-will offerings of the children of 
God, and to appropriate them faithfully and prudently 
to the advancement of the work which God in his provi- 
dence had begun. For, in the first place, the support 
of the two first travelling preachers, James Crawfoot and 
William Clowes, was rather weighty to those that bore 



96 LIFE OF 

it for so long a period, especially to the brethren Nixon 
and Woodnorth ; and in the next place, my wife began 
to feel that the allowance so disinterestedly given by 
the two pious and zealous friends, was inadequate to 
our support ; for, in consequence of our peculiar posi- 
tion and religious connexions, we had many " comers 
and goers ;" and to make these comfortable, and to 
maintain hospitality, we endeavoured to practise self- 
denial to the utmost, to avoid being involved in debt. 
We therefore used coarser food, dining, when by our- 
selves, on a little suet and potatoes, or a piece of bread 
and a drink of water. But as we found our expen- 
diture still to exceed our income, we sold the feather- 
bed we slept on ; for it was a maxim with us, to which 
we rigidly adhered, never to go into debt without a 
possibility of paying that debt. My proceedings, how- 
ever, in the instances of self-denial which I have stated, 
were unknown to my Christian friends and coadjutors 
in the infancy of Primitive Methodism : it was enough 
for me to know that God knew all my conduct, and 
the motives that influenced it in every particular 
movement. 

However, at length the question of supporting the 
missionaries, and the matter of salary, came into dis- 
cussion in a meeting held in Mr. Steele's house. At 
that meeting it was settled, that the two missionaries, 
or travelling preachers, should in future be supported 
by the voluntary contributions of the members, and 
that my salary should be raised to fourteen shillings a 
week. Mr. Steele was chosen circuit-steward ; conse- 
quently, he was the first individual that bore that office 
in the Connexion. Powerful prayer was then offered 
up, that God would bless these new regulations, and 
direct them for his glory in the earth ; and that he did 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 



97 



give his sanction and benediction, the results have 
abundantly shown. 

If I mistake not, the meeting at which these import- 
ant changes were made, was held on the 26th July, 
1811. We had, prior to this, commenced a written 
preachers' plan, which began on the 2nd of June ; on it 
were fifteen preachers, and about eight places. The 
second, which commenced on September of the same 
year, contained seventeen preachers and seventeen 
places, which are as follow : — 

NAMES OF PREACHERS. 



J. Crawfoot 


R. Bayley 


J. Nixon 


J. Benton 


J. Steele 


W. Alcock 


T. Alcock 


J. Boaden 


J. Bourne 


T.Woodnorth 


T. Hume 


J. Broad 


H. Bourne 


E. M'Evoy 


J. Marsh 


H. Mattison 


W. Clowes 










NAMES OF PLACES. 




Tunstall 


Stanley 


Roggen Row 


Englesea Brook 


Norton 


Brown Edge 


Talk-o'th'-Hill 


Coppen Hall 


Golden Hill 


Bagnall 


Lawton Heath 


Cloud 


Pitt's Hill 


Badley Edge 


Butt Lane 


Ramsor 


Mow 









On the first written plan the following note stood at 
the bottom : — " When it happens a preacher does not at- 
tend, an endeavour must be made to supply : if any per- 
son be present whom the congregation wishes to speak, 
the wish of the congregation must be complied with." 

It will now be seen by the reader, from what has been 
narrated, that in 1811 the Primitive Methodist Con- 
nexion was regularly formed ; that quarterly tickets 
were given to all the members of classes under our 
spiritual care, that contributions were raised for the sup- 
port of the travelling preachers ; preachers' plans made, 
and preaching appointments regularly attended to. 

At this period the report of the Connexion would 
stand as follows; — 2 travelling preachers; 15 local 
preachers; 200 members ; 17 preaching places. 

F 



CHAPTER XI. 

General features of the work — Fresh preachers in the Methodist Burs- 
lem circuit — Letter of invitation to join the Methodists — Decision 
of an answer postponed — Quarterly meeting — Title of Primitive 
Methodist first assumed — Letter from the Methodists considered, 
reply sent — Missionary tour — Meeting at Francis Horobin's — Suc- 
cessful missionary — Letter from John Burndred — Dress — Labours 
in Derbyshire — Old man drowned — Returns to Tunstall — Another 
missionary excursion — Travail in birth for souls — Deep sorrow — 
Baptism of the Spirit — Mrs. Richardson and the magistrate — Sam- 
son Turner — Accommodations of a missionary — Open air preaching 
at the village of Rugeley — Sir John Chetwood — Preaches in Long- 
nor market-place — Breaks up new mission ground. 

The work having now become impressed with those 
features of unity, order, and system, which have been al- 
ready described in the preceding pages ; our old friends 
the Methodists having got fresh preachers into the Burs- 
lem circuit, they, together with the stewards and other 
officials, sent us a letter, the purport of which was an 
invitation to return to the Connexion, assigning as a 
reason, that it would be for the glory of God, and would 
spread more the kingdom of Christ in the world. The 
subject of this letter was considered at large in one of 
our quarterly meetings, whether it would be for the 
glory of God, and the extension of his kingdom to 
return, or continue as we were. It appeared to be the 
general impression of the meeting, that as God in his 
providence had brought circumstances into the position' 
in which they then stood^ without being designed by 
any of us ; and that as his glory had been seen, 
and his kingdom greatly extended by our individual 



LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 99 

and united efforts, the meeting could not accede to the 
invitation officially given. However, it was settled to 
postpone an answer to the letter in question until the 
next quarterly meeting, and in the interim to lay the 
matter before God in prayer, and to appoint the two 
travelling preachers to ascertain the minds of the people 
upon this important measure. At this quarterly meet- 
ing, which was held February 13, 1812, we found we 
stood in numerical strength, twenty- three preachers, 
and thirty-four preaching places ; and as written preach- 
ers' plans were found to be a great deal of trouble in 
getting up, we decided on having them printed forth- 
with. At this meeting a matter was decided also, which 
has excited unnecessary prejudice, and called forth the 
expression of much disreputable remark in certain 
quarters, which was the designating the religious body, 
which, under God, we had been the instruments of 
founding, by the name of the " Primitive Methodist 
Connexion :" by which title or designation the Con- 
nexion is now recognised by a legal instrument, called 
a " Deed Poll," enrolled in her Majesty's High Court 
of Chancery. 

When the next quarter-day board assembled, the 
matter of joining the Methodists, or continuing as a 
distinct and separate denomination, was agitated. I 
told the board that I had consulted the several societies 
on the matter of returning and dissolving ourselves, 
but not any of the societies were willing to agree to such 
a course ; and after many friends had given their opin- 
ions at the board, Mr. James Steele gave his opinion the 
last. He said he had not failed to lay the whole matter 
before God in earnest prayer in his private retirements, 
but he must say he could not see the way clear to re- 
turn. The resolution was then put by the chairman, 
f 2 



100 LIFE OF 

when it was unanimously carried that we should re- 
main as we were. A letter was then sent to our old 
friends, informing them of our decision, and stating 
that, as soon as ever we saw that to incorporate our- 
selves with them would promote the glory of the 
Most High, and enlarge the Redeemer's kingdom in 
the world, we would immediately do so ; but that at 
the present time we could not see that such would be 
the case. 

I may now proceed to narrate the circumstances of 
another missionary tour which I undertook about this 
period ; it was to Ramsor and its vicinity, preaching 
Christ and him crucified. At the house of Francis 
Horobin we held a preaching service ; it was a memo- 
rable season, the " slain of the Lord were many ;" the 
fruits of that labour are to be seen at this day. We 
did not limit the preaching to one place, but preached 
from house to house. We found the houses of Brother 
Crishley and Brother Buxton very convenient ; in the 
house of the latter five souls were converted to God. 
In this house I held a love-feast, which began at eleven 
o'clock in the forenoon, being most suitable for the 
country people residing there, No sooner did the 
meeting commence than tears and bursts of joy took 
place throughout the love-feast ; great freedom was 
experienced in speaking of the glorious things per- 
taining to the kingdom, and several, in giving expres- 
sion to their religious feelings, declared that God had 
made me, his unworthy servant, an honoured instrument 
in his hands in the salvation of their souls. 

At the termination of the meeting, Francis Dricott, 
a local preacher, prayed that the Lord would keep me 
humble, and save me from thinking too highly of my- 
self. I felt thankful for the sentiment of the prayer, and 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 



101 



responded to it from my heart, Amen and Amen. I 
was aware that God resisteth the proud, and giveth 
grace to the humble, and that the devil's object is 
to inflate the hearts of preachers of the gospel 
with spiritual pride ; alas ! how many have ^been 
thus deceived, and have said to their brethren and 
fellow-labourers, " Stand thou by, I am holier than 
thou." 

From thence I went down to Wootton, a small 
village near Ramsor, and in this place I visited, with a 
few exceptions, every family, and prayed with each of 
them. Mr. Joseph Salt very kindly received us, and 
he with his wife got converted to God, and he called 
me his father. 

From Wootton I went to Alton, and opened it ; and 
such was the general move in the places, and the 
numerous awakenings, that the places of worship were 
thronged by those who had hitherto been utterly care- 
less of the means of grace. The Independent chapel 
at Alton, in consequence of the influx of hearers, had to 
be enlarged, which greatly rejoiced the heart of the 
minister, who had laboured many years in the place 
without any hopeful signs, but now the seed sprung up 
abundantly. Tn the house of a friend of the name of 
Walker, we established preaching, and much good was 
done ; he and many of his neighbours were saved of 
the Lord. Samuel Tomlinson likewise entertained us 
as the servants of the Most High, sent to make known 
to them the way of salvation. I may observe here, 
with respect to this village, that whenever I entered it 
I felt much burden of soul and depression of mind ; 
but usually the word preached was mighty through 
God in pulling down strong holds. The people fell 
under the word, and were frequently brought into 



102 LIFE OF 

strong agonies ; and when they were enabled to believe, 
they exhibited the greatest transports of joyous feeling 
in praising God aloud. 

At another place called Rocester, which was opened, 
if I mistake not, by William Alcock, God mightily 
owned both my public and private ministrations ; the 
power of God broke down sinners, and signs and won- 
ders were wrought in the name of the holy child Jesus, 
We soon had a flourishing society, and erected a new 
chapel at a more subsequent period, which I had the 
pleasure, with others, to open. At this place some of 
our friends got into the habit of replying to the preacher 
whilst he was in the act of preaching. For some time 
this practice appeared to stay and perplex the work, 
and I felt much delicacy with respect to adopting any 
measures to check the matter, for fear of hurting the 
minds of the people. At last an incident took place 
which brought the habit to an end, for one night I was 
preaching, and one of the members was replying, a 
woman of the world exclaimed to the person, " Hold 
your tongue, man, we want to hear the preacher." The 
man instantly stopped. I thought, " That is well done ; 
that is just what was wanted." 

We then proceeded and opened other places, such as 
Threapwood-head, Denstone, Froghall, Stanton, Swin- 
scoe, Hanging-bridge, and other villages, in which God 
owned the labours of his servants in the salvation of 
souls, and in the formation of Christian churches. At 
Froghall, a person of the name of Joseph Biddulph, 
who lived at the top of the plain, came to hear me 
preach at Kingsley, and the Lord converted his soul. 
He then gave me an invitation to preach in his house 
at Froghall, I went accordingly ; the house was large 
and the congregation overflowing, and the season was 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 103 

such as will never be forgotten by the people assem- 
bled on that occasion. On several circumstances con- 
nected with my missionary movements, Mr. Thomas 
Burndred transmitted me an account, which I will here 
introduce : 

"Dear Brother Clowes, 

" I write you a few lines for the purpose of giving 
you an account of the footsteps of the Divine Provi- 
dence in my neighbourhood. The first time I attended 
your ministry was at Kingsley, before the P. M. Con- 
nexion was formed. Our respected friend, Joseph 
Biddulph, was converted to God under your sermon at 
that place, and when he invited you to preach in his 
house at the top of the plain, the matter produced a 
vast deal of excitement. I had been convinced of sin 
about six weeks before that period, under the preaching 
of Mr. Sargeant, and from the report I had heard of 
you, I was very desirous to hear you ; 1 went to the 
preaching at friend Biddulph's ; your text was, in 
Rev. xxii. 17, an invitation to drink of the water of 
life ; I was thirsty, and I was induced by faith to drink 
freely. God, that night, washed all my sins away, and 
his love was shed abroad in my heart ; such a fire 
was lighted up in my soul that awakened all my 
powers to attempt doing all the good I possibly could, 
I therefore took a house for the purpose of having 
preaching in it, and. in it, you afterwards preached. I 
wish to call to your recollection that Friday evening 
when you, along with Joseph Biddulph, got into my 
house undiscovered when Mr. Sargeant was preaching : 
after he concluded he called for some one to pray, when 
you broke forth with a power and glory I shall never 



104 LIFE OF 

forget — sinners cried out and believers rejoiced ; but a 
certain farmer who was present was so strangely infat- 
uated as to conclude you were possessed by the devil, 
and he resolved if ever you came thither again he would 
shift you off; but alas ! poor man, he afterwards broke 
a blood-vessel and died instantly. At this time John 
Buxton, senior, and John, junior, with myself, began to 
preach ; persecution now began to rage, and opposition 
gathered strength. John Buxton, senior, went to preach 
at a small village near Froghall, and a Mr. B., who 
kept a large bull, ordered his man to unloose him and 
turn him into the congregation. The man made three 
attempts to drive in the bull, but failed ; while exerting 
himself with all his might, the bull turned on him, and 
to escape he had to run with all speed. A few days 
after this circumstance the man was seized with a 
violent distemper which terminated his life, and the 
farmer, his master, committed suicide. 

" I am, yours truly, 

"Thomas Burndred." 

At Great Gate, near Alton, a Mr. Byatt, a farmer, 
and his wife, were brought to the knowledge of the truth 
as it is in Jesus ; and I accepted an invitation to preach 
in their house, when the Lord gave me their daughter 
Mary as a seal to my ministry. I spoke -to her in the 
name of the Lord on the subject of laying her curls 
aside, and becoming plain in dress, as a Christian ought 
to be who adorns the gospel. I observed, if she were 
to retire and lay the matter before God, she would re- 
ceive a correct impression how to act in that particular 
matter. She did retire, and when she came down stairs 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 105 

she had stripped off her curls, and was attired as a 
Christian professor ought to be. 

I now proceeded in another direction, and took a 
missionary tour into Derbyshire again, and preached at 
Boylstone, Rodsley, and Wollington ; and during this 
route I felt a glorious consciousness of the power and 
presence of the Lord. In Rodsley I visited from house 
to house, till I got through the whole village, with the 
exception of one house, and that was a respectable one ; 
I felt it a cross to go in ; for, I thought, if I invite the 
inmates to the preaching, I shall probably offend them; 
I therefore neglected to do this ; but when I began 
the service, I felt uneasy in my mind that I had not 
taken up my cross in visiting the people in the house 
in question ; I therefore left the preaching-house, and 
ran to the unvisited family, and having given them 
an invitation to the preaching, which invitation they 
rejected, I was nevertheless composed and satisfied in 
having made the attempt, and whilst I conducted the 
devotions of the people, the Lord made bare his holy 
arm. In visiting one house, I found an old man and a 
woman ; I invited them to the preaching, the old man 
replied to the invitation that he was a churchman, and 
could say the church prayers off book; and he forth- 
with began to repeat some of them. I told him all 
that was very well in its place, but that except he was 
born again he could not enter into heaven, but must 
be for ever shut up in hell. I then proposed praying, 
and on rising, after having done this, he cried out to the 
old woman, "Mary, give him a shilling ; he has prayed 
well." I told him I did not pray for money ; I was 
obliged to him for the kindness he manifested, and 
urged him to go to the preaching. He said, "No ;" 
r 3 



106 LIFE OF 

but Mary might go, and he would go another time. 
I told him he might be in eternity before I came to 
preach again ; I therefore strongly urged him to go ; 
but all in vain. A week afterwards, as I was crossing a 
small brook in a valley, my attention was caught by 
part of a walking stick, and turning round, I perceived 
a dead body in the brook. I did not touch it, but has- 
tened to a farm-house, and told the people in the house 
what I had seen. The master went and got some as- 
sistance ; and when they drew up the body, one of 
them said, "It is old Ned Carter, of Rodsley." I then 
knew it was the same man I had so strongly and power- 
fully entreated to go to the preaching a short while be- 
fore, and to whom I said he might be in eternity before 
I returned to his place to preach again ; and so it was. 
This poor man, who lived not far from the preaching- 
house, and who would not go that short distance to 
worship God, had been at Cheadle " wake," a distance 
of a dozen miles, and was returning from the scene of 
folly when he lost his life. He was, I suppose, seventy 
years old. " Lord, teach us to number our days, that 
we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.'* 

After I had witnessed this instance of the judgment 
of God, I walked about eight miles, and preached at 
Dense Alcock's, near Weaver hills ; and the Lord was 
with us in truth and power. I then proceeded home- 
wards to Tunstall, where I found the good work in- 
creasing ; after labouring awhile, I took an excursion 
into Cheshire and Lancashire again. The first day of my 
departure I walked about twenty-four miles ; on the road 
I fell into a profound meditation on the fall of man, his 
departure from original holiness, and the depth of ini- 
quity into which sin had sunk him, and the impossibility 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 107 

for any power but that of God to restore him. These 
Reflections I pursued in my mind until I was brought 
into great sorrow and distress of soul; I felt the travail 
in birth, and experienced an internal agony on account 
of the millions of souls on the earth who were posting 
on in the way of death, whose steps take hold on hell ; 
I wept much, and longed for some convenient spot on 
the road where I could give vent to my burdened soul 
in prayer. In a short time I arrived on a forest, and 
then I gave way to my feelings, and poured out my 
soul, and cried like a woman in the pangs of childbirth. 
I thought the agony into which I was thrown would 
terminate my life. This was a glorious baptism into 
the ministry ; the glory of God was revealed to me in 
a wonderful manner ; it left an unction on my soul 
which continues to this day ; and the sweetness which 
was imparted to my spirit, it is impossible for me to 
describe. 

I proceeded on my journey until I came to the old 
man's house in the forest, and from thence to Mr. 
Eaton's, at London Bridge, near Warrington ; whose 
house was truly a "pilgrim's inn." At Stockton Heath 
I preached, and also at Warrington, at Mrs. Richard- 
son's, where I had times of refreshing from the presence 
of the Lord. Mrs. Richardson became a speaker amongst 
us, and was an acceptable labourer in the Lord's vine- 
yard. At the first establishment of preaching in her 
house, I was conducting the religious services one 
evening, when one of the magistrates came in and de- 
manded a sight of my license. I put my hand into my 
pocket, and handed it to him. He then said he wanted 
to see the license of the house as a place for preaching. 
One of the people told him it was above. He said, " I 



108 LIFE OF 

must have it down." The individual replied, " It is in 
heaven." He then began to swear, and order the con- 
gregation to disperse ; one man rose to obey the magis- 
trate's order, when Mrs. Richardson exclaimed, " Sit 
down, my friend, and be quiet. My house is my 
own;" and then she cried out in prayer for God to save 
Justice L. At this the magistrate endeavoured to effect 
his escape, but Mrs. Richardson followed him into the 
street, praying aloud for the Lord to have mercy on 
Justice L. ; to convert Justice L., and make him a 
Methodist preacher. He then told her he would send 
the water-engines, and blow her windows out ; but she 
continued to raise such a storm of prayer about his 
ears, that he hastened his flight, leaving the Bible and 
hymn-book in the street, which he had taken from be- 
fore me whilst preaching ; he, however, took my license 
with him ; but in a few days after I went to him, ac- 
companied by a friend. When he saw us approaching 
his house, he came out with the license in his hand, 
and gave it to me, saying, " Your servant, sir." He 
immediately retired into the house, or else I purposed 
to have given him a lecture on the impropriety of his 
conduct. 

After this I went and preached at Overton, near 
Runcorn, several times, with success. I then went to 
Liverpool, where I preached a sermon near the theatre, 
I then bent my course towards Tunstall, and preached 
the same evening I arrived ; then I went to Cannock 
Lane, about thirty miles distant, and preached ; then 
to Cannock Wood, a place I had opened before ; at 
this place the work did not progress rapidly, but still 
good was done — souls were saved. 

In the family of Mr. Turner, God manifested his power 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 109 

by converting the father and the mother, two sisters, 
and one son ; and this son is Samson Turner, one of 
our travelling preachers. The old man was at first 
very much prejudiced against methodists, professing to 
be a churchman ; but in a conversation with him his 
prejudice gave way, and he gave his heart to the Lord, 
and his house became a home for the ministers of God 
while pursuing their great work. He died in peace, 
and is now inheriting the promises. 

At other places in this neighbourhood, such as Penk- 
ridge, Worley, I visited from house to house, to invite 
the people to hear the terms of reconciliation, but I 
did not see much fruit. I generally had to sleep at 
nights at public-houses, and often was exposed to 
filthy and disgusting annoyances. At one time I had 
to sleep where a band of music was playing ; at another 
place I was put into the same room with a drunken man 
and a woman to sleep ; at another place I slept over a 
stable, and what with the noise of the horses' feet, and 
the rats in the room, I could rest but little. At Worley 
Bank, we were kindly received by Mr. D. Buxton, in 
our missionary labours, and witnessed partial success. 

I now bent my course to Abbot's Bromley, on the 
Lichfield road ; and passing through a large village 
near Rugeley, I felt a strong 'impression that I should 
preach in it. I felt it a cross, as I knew no person in 
the place; yet I felt I should be condemned in my 
soul if I did not take up my cross ; accordingly, I asked 
a woman if she would lend me a chair to stand on, as 
I was going to preach in the village. She lent me 
one ; and I got up close by some men that were playing 
at marbles. When they saw me about to begin, they 
desisted from their play and drew near; the people came 



110 LIFE OF 

from every quarter, and when I opened my eyes after 
praying, a vast multitude stood before me. I then 
announced my text, and having got about half way 
through my sermon, a person having the appearance 
of a gentleman came up, to whom the people moved 
with great respect. He then said to me, " Come down ;" 
but I took no notice, and went on with my preaching. 
He then drew up to me, and said, " I demand your 
license." I asked the people if the gentleman was a 
magistrate. They said he was a magistrate. I then 
gave him my license. After examining it, he said, 
" The signature is not Sir John Chetwood's." I ob- 
served, " I must see to that, if it be forged." He then 
turned himself to the people, and said, " I command 
every person present to retire peaceably to his own 
home ;" but as the people did not immediately obey 
this order, he began to rave, and to cry louder for the 
people to disperse. They then began to move off; 
but I went on pouring forth the threatenings and judg- 
ments of God. He then turned to me again, and said, 
" If you are licensed, remember, this place is not." 
" Sir," I said, " I have authority from the king to 
preach through his dominions, and also from the God 
of heaven to preach the gospel to every creature ; and 
remember, except you repent, you will perish." He 
replied, "I shall take you into custody;" but whilst he 
was about to execute his threatening, some person among 
the crowd cried out, "Shake the dust off your feet, as 
a testimony against them ;" and then shouted " Glory !" 
Amid this cross-fire the magistrate appeared to be con- 
founded; so I came down, and bidding the people fare- 
well, I proceeded on my way. At the end of the vil- 
lage, seeing a number of people standing, I exhorted 



WILLIAM CLOWES. Ill 

them to flee from the wrath to come. I proceeded 
onwards about three miles to Abbots Bromley, where 
I slept. At Abbots Bromley we formed a class, in 
the neighbourhood of which I had some precious sea- 
sons. From thence I went to the Moorlands behind 
Leek, where I laboured much, and not in vain. 

At Longnor I preached Christ in the market-place, 
on the market-day. The people suspended their buying 
and selling until I had finished my discourse. I went 
on and preached the gospel of the grace of God at 
Stonepit Hill, Fleet Green, Cowhead, Warslow, Holme 
End, Allstonfield, Mill Dale, Harrington, Butterton, 
Windy Bank, and Onecote : at all these places God 
poured out his Spirit ; many were truly saved ; and 
at most of these places Christian churches were 
formed. 



CHAPTER XII. 

Journal — John Wedgwood — Travels to a carnp-meeting — Lost on a 
common — Dangers escaped — Perplexed on a journey — Camp-meet- 
ing, Nantwich — Dines on crab-apples — Missions Belper — New 
chapel erected — Glorious movements — Lodges in the armoury — Re- 
marks — Missions new ground. 

It being our intention to hold a camp-meeting in 
the vicinity of the villages mentioned in the preceding 
chapter, and knowing that Brother John Wedgwood 
was a man well fitted to assist in such a religious en- 
terprise, I waited on him at his father's house, which 
is near Tunstall, to request him to accompany me to 
the camp-meeting. When I got to the door of the 
house, I heard John praying aloud in his room, and his 
father crying out to him, " John ! make a less noise, 
will you?" but John went on crying with greater vehe- 
mence in his prayers, about the world being on fire, 
and the doom of the proud and ungodly in that day. 
At last the old gentleman jumped up, and ran into his 
chamber, exclaiming. " John ! will you not make a less 
noise ?" I gave the door a shake at the same time, 
and John desisted. Now John's motive was not so 
much to awaken his family from their natural sleep, 
as to rouse them from the sleep of sin, for they were 
unconverted. 

John and I soon started for the camp -meeting ; we 
preached to all that we met with on the road, till the day 
began to wear away. I warned John that we ought to 
hasten on our journey, as we had a large common to pass 
over. But it was to no purpose ; John's zeal for souls 



- 



LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 113 

overcame his prudence ; accordingly, as I had feared 
and intimated, we found ourselves utterly lost upon the 
common, in the approaching darkness of the night. We 
knew nothing in what direction to proceed, for we 
found we were up to the knees in the moss and ling 
which grow on the moor. We tried to grope our way 
with our sticks ; but after wandering for some time, we 
came to the edge of a large sheet of water, which is 
called the Blackmere of Morridge ; I perceived we were 
now in considerable danger. I therefore shouted with 
all my might, "Lost! lost! lost!" Brother Wedgwood 
wished me to be silent ; for, he said, if any body heard 
us that were evil-disposed, they would have every op- 
portunity to do us mischief. I thought there was some 
wisdom in his advice, so I desisted crying out " Lost." 
We went on in a straight line until we came to a stone 
wall, and then we proceeded along until we came to a 
gate, over which we climbed, and there Brother Wedg- 
wood lay down, intending to remain all night, as he 
despaired of finding the way till morning ; but I would 
not lie down, because the ground was very wet ; I 
therefore began again to cry, " Lost! lost! lost!" and 
in a short time, in the distance, we saw a light, and 
shortly heard the trampling of feet and the barking of 
a dog. I shouted again, but no answer was returned ; 
so we began to conclude that enemies were advancing 
upon us ; we therefore took to our heels and ran. We 
soon reached a wall, over which I climbed, and fell down 
a considerable way on the other side, and Wedgwood 
came after me. I arose, and as we ran we heard the dog 
and some persons pursuing. In a short time we came 
to another wall ; I tried to get on the top of it, but it 
gave way, and down came the wall and I together. 
However, we continued our flight until a wall, or fence 



114 LIFE OF 

of some sort, obstructed us again. I got over it ; but 
on the opposite side there was a deep ditch ; I therefore 
endeavoured to slide down to the bottom, and was not 
hurt ; and onwards we ran, totally ignorant whither we 
were going, or what dangers were awaiting us. At 
last, when nearly exhausted, we, all on a sudden ; found 
ourselves in a farm-yard. We hastened up to the 
farm-house, and, having conversed with the people, we 
found them to be relations to my wife. Never did my 
heart feel more thankful than for this deliverance. We 
were told by the people that we had certainly escaped 
destruction by miracle, for the precipices and moss-pits 
were numerous, and where we first saw the light, there 
was a house, the inmates of which bore a very bad 
character ; and as we were pursued, there was no doubt 
but that they would have either robbed or murdered us 
had they caught us. 

The next day we proceeded on our way to the camp- 
meeting, and although the day was unfavourable, many 
people attended from the villages around, and good was 
done in the name of the Lord, and a good work broke 
out in that country all round about. 

At another time I was much perplexed in a journey 
to a preaching appointment, having to open a new 
place. The people where I lodged persuaded me to 
take tea before I started, as the distance to the place, 
they said, was only two miles. When I set off, the 
people told me I must go up the dale straight on, 
and I could not miss my way. When I came to the 
top of the dale there was a village, which I thought 
was the place ; when I inquired I was told I was about 
two miles distant from the place ; it was now nearly 
dark, and I was informed the road was very difficult 
for a stranger ; however, they told me I must cross a 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 115 

field, and go down the next, and so forth ; accordingly 
I went on, and soon was stopped by a river, where 
there were three different roads ; there was no person 
to inquire of which of these roads I was to take, I 
therefore, in my perplexity, knelt down and prayed to 
God to direct me which road to pursue ; when I arose I 
felt an impression to take the middle road ; I accordingly 
walked forward, and arrived at the top of the hill, and 
went down on the other side, which brought me into a 
yard where there was a mill. I asked the miller the 
way to the place of my destination, he told, me to go 
up a hill, and to go by a tree, and it would lead me 
into a lane, and then I should soon be at the place. 
I asked him which side of the tree I was to go by, he 
then began to swear, and said he had told me ; I was 
therefore glad to quit this director, and push on my 
way : I came to the top of the hill, passed the tree, ran 
up the lane, and arrived at the place bespattered to the 
knees with mud, and nearly exhausted ; the congre- 
gation was waiting, I began to preach immediately, and 
I felt my soul refreshed by waiting on the Lord, and 
the people participated in the riches of the grace of God. 
Returning to Tunstall, I went, accompanied by John 
Wedgwood, to hold a camp-meeting at Nantwich in 
Cheshire ; there was a large multitude, and much liberty 
was felt by the speakers and praying people ; we con- 
cluded at noon to retire to dinner, but all the dinner 
which was prepared for us were a few crabs which we 
found under a tree. After we had dined we spent 
some time in prayer, and then proceeded to our work, 
and continued in it until about five o'clock in the 
evening ; I then walked to Englesea Brook, a distance 
of about seven miles, to preach the, same evening. 
When I arrived the congregation was waiting, but I 



116 



LIFE OF 



was so much fatigued and exhausted, that I was obliged 
to set my back against the wall to rest a little whilst I 
spoke to the people in the name of the Lord. Never- 
theless I could say, 

" Labour is rest, and pain is sweet, 
If thou my God art here." 

About this period also I visited Cox Bank, on the 
borders of Shropshire, where I preached several times, 
and visited all the families in the place from house to 
house. This place was mostly supplied by the local 
preachers from Tunstall, as well as myself; they fre- 
quently walked to their appointments, a distance of 
eighteen miles, and returned home on the same day. 
But our labours were not in vain here, for the Lord 
raised up a people to praise his great name. 

We still continued to enlarge and push on our mis- 
sionary labours, by extending ourselves further into 
Derbyshire. We opened Mercaston, Hulland, Turn- 
ditch, and Weston-under-Wood. At each of these 
places much good was done from time to time as we 
visited them ; indeed, they became much noted in what 
was then called the Connexion. John Harrison, who 
became a local preacher and afterwards a travelling 
preacher, and who finished his course in the glorious 
work in the year 1821, was brought to God in this 
neighbourhood ; he travelled with considerable success 
in Tunstall, Loughborough, Nottingham, and Hull.* 

* For some time John was like a speckled bird in his family, but 
his steady and pious conduct produced a change in his father's house. 
His eldest brother sometimes jested him, and said he had been told that 
there was "hell upon earth" at Hulland, where John attended the 
meetings, but he would go and see for once what hell upon earth was. 
He went, and God arrested him and saved him, so that he said he found 
it was heaven upon earth : he pursued his course, and became a leader 
and a local preacher amongst us. 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 117 

Also Sarah Kirkland, who afterwards became the wife 
of John Harrison, laboured extensively both as a local 
and travelling preacher, and her memory remains 
dear to thousands to this day : (these were my first 
colleagues in my mission at Hull.) In the same neigh- 
bourhood God blessed my labours in the conversion of 
John Ride, who has now long been one of our most 
successful missionaries in the west of England ; in him 
I have much joy, and trust I ever shall have while life 
shall last, and after that shout glory. In these parts 
we were refreshed in our labours by the hospitality of 
our very kind friends, Wilson, Beeston, Ride, Hold- 
gate, &c. ; the recollection of the kindness of these fam- 
ilies can never pass from me while life, or thought, or 
being lasts : I hope to meet them in heaven, where 
our joys will be renewed and perpetuated to eternity. 

Our mission extended to Belper, and our labours 
were crowned with prosperity. Mr. Strutt, the pro- 
prietor of several large cotton factories, perceiving a 
decided change wrought by our instrumentality, in 
many of his work-people, became very friendly to us. 
The place in which we worshipped being far too small, 
we made application to Mr. Strutt for land on which to 
erect a chapel ; he kindly offered us as much land as 
we wanted at a shilling per yard ; a chapel was soon 
raised, which I with others had the pleasure to open, 
and the work enlarged, souls were saved, and Belper 
became afterwards the head of a circuit. 

I then proceeded, and preached at Milford, where the 
word ran and was glorified, and where a society was 
formed. From there I went to Derby and sounded the 
gospel trumpet ; and notwithstanding there were many 
things which perplexed the work of God, besides con- 
siderable persecution, yet the work of God rolled on, 
a chapel was built, and a numerous congregation was 



118 LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 

raised ; so overwhelming were the multitudes, that after 
the doors were thrown open, in a few minutes the 
chapel used to be filled to excess. On one occasion 
the chapel was so crowded, and the air so bad, that the 
lights would not burn ; the chapel -keeper endeavoured 
to trim them ; some of the turbulent of the persecutors 
created a disturbance ; I cried to God to still the 
raging of the enemy, the rebels felt the power, and 
were struck, but the chapel-keeper opened the door 
and they escaped, or I believe they would have been 
arrested with conviction,. One of them threw a stone 
at the head of the chapel-keeper, and cut him severely: 
this produced great confusion, and terminated the 
service for the night : however, the man who threw the 
stone was brought up before the mayor for this outrage, 
and was committed. 

At this place a soldier in the Royal Artillery, who 
was stationed at the Armoury, was a great help to the 
cause, both in the getting up of the chapel, and in the 
converting work, besides supporting the preachers ; 
having no friends in the beginning to take us in, I 
have often gone with the soldier to the Armoury to 
sleep. It was rather a trial at first to have to climb up 
without steps, one tier above another, to get into their 
berths, or sort of box beds ; but I remembered I was 
a missionary, and it behoved me not to demur about 
little matters of convenience and comfort. I had counted 
the cost, and was prepared, by the grace of God, to take 
up my cross and follow Jesus through honour and dis- 
honour. 

In the vicinity of Derby I preached at several places, 
such asWillington, Bolton, Chaddison, Drarycott, Wind- 
ley, Burniston, Normanton ; at which places my la- 
bours, along with those of my coadjutors, were blessed 
in the conversion of sinners to God. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Journal — Nottingham — Persecution — Work in Nottingham — Shelford 
— Courage in opposition — Blidworth — Calverton — Man suddenly 
arrested — Mission progresses — Opinions of some in supporting travel- 
ling preachers — Preaches in Bingham market-place — Class-leaders 
and a free gospel — A division — Devil and parish priest — Bottesford 
— Great confusion — Balderton — Newark — The water-engine Drought 
out — Engine broke — The person compelled to pay damages. 

From Derbyshire I afterwards went on to mission in 
the county of Nottingham, where the Almighty greatly 
prospered the cause in which we had embarked ; and 
notwithstanding the powers of earth and hell stood in 
formidable phalanx, and opposed our advance, yet, un- 
appalled, we dashed forward, and " in the name of the 
Lord we lifted up our banners." 

In the town of Nottingham we preached in a large 
room that had been used as a manufactory, which room, 
I suppose, would hold about a thousand people, which 
was generally well filled. We experienced strong per- 
secution in the beginning ; but on application to the 
magistrates, the outward persecution was in a measure 
quelled. Sometimes, amid the storm and disquietude 
of the wicked, I have seen the congregation shake with 
the power of God ; the sound on the tops of the mul- 
berry trees has been great ; in the valley of dry bones, 
bone has come to its bone ; " there were many bands, 
whose hearts the Lord touched;" and the work having 
gone on with glorious success, Nottingham has long 
been the head of a circuit, and also of a district. 

At Shelford, a gracious work broke out, but it was 



120 LIFE OF 

bitterly opposed by the persecuting hosts. A steward 
of the proprietor of the village hurled his anathema 
against us, and threatened those with his awful thunder 
who should have the temerity to harbour us. One 
man, however, mustered courage to brave the storm ; 
he took us in, and opened his house for preaching ; he 
was therefore served with a notice to quit. The man 
had built his house himself, on the land of the pro- 
prietor, and the steward resolved to dispossess him ; 
the man, however, stood firm and unmoved, and the 
matter was never carried against him. Another perse- 
cutor, who bitterly opposed us, was removed by being 
drowned in the river. I, however, left this place with 
some hopes ; I resembled a bark tossed with the tem- 
pest and exposed to the yawning gulf. 

At Blidworth the work nourished ; in two months 
we raised a lovely society of fifty-two members. I 
had an extraordinary time in meeting the class for 
tickets, and in preaching afterwards, one woman passed 
from death to life. Two sermons which I preached 
afterwards were greatly owned of God ; many were 
pierced with sorrow of a godly sort, and either four or 
five found redemption in the blood of Jesus Christ. 
At Calverton, where I preached with my full liberty, 
and where I had formed a society the fortnight pre- 
viously, I joined five new members, making in all 
sixteen. I then proceeded to Oxon, and preached from 
Rev. iii. 20. The Lord worked powerfully among the 
people, and signs followed ; one man was arrested in 
such a manner as if he had been shot with a musket- 
ball ; he would have fallen to the ground, but some of 
the people rushed to his assistance, and held him up. 
The man afterwards said it was one word which I ut- 
tered which penetrated his heart. Another man, who 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 121 

had been in deep distress all night on account of his 
sins, came to me in the morning, and accompanied me 
out of town. After relating his distress, we kneeled 
down by the road-side, under a tree, and the Lord in 
mercy set his soul at perfect liberty. 

At Lambley I also preached, in a chapel which was 
occupied alternately by the New Connexion Methodists 
and the Independents. Mr. Smith entertained us at 
this place, and was much attached to our interest. I 
had a very powerful time in the preaching service, and 
afterwards gave tickets to a society of twenty-two ; I 
had many blessed seasons among the brethren, in this 
place. 

At Bullwell I also administered the word of life, and 
met the society to give quarterly tickets to its members. 
I felt much regret to find that the cause had in a measure 
retrograded. From this place I moved forward to Rad- 
eliffe, and preached, and one cried aloud for the mercy of 
God. I again preached in the open air to a vast num- 
ber, and again at five o'clock the next morning from 1 
Cor. xvi. 13. At this place I again met with Brother 
Wedgwood ; we both preached in the open air. After 
I had spoken, I left Wedgwood to conclude the service, 
and proceeded to preach at another place about four 
miles distant. When I was about a mile off, I dis- 
tinctly heard Wedgwood praying with the people. At 
this place I experienced a little trouble from a certain 
person who had broached some unsound sentiments. 
One of the principal was, that the society ought not to 
support the regular travelling preachers, but only those 
who were missionaries. I reasoned with the people on 
this matter, and the result was, they gave up the prin- 
cipal, and the individual who had been the most promi- 

G 



122 LIFE OF 

nent in the affair, took me to his house, and treated me 
with the greatest hospitality, at the recollection of which 
I feel a lively sense of gratitude upon my spirit at this 
day ; for I was then a stranger in a strange land. I 
preached to the people afterwards, and one soul was 
saved ; and when I met them to give tickets, they 
subscribed nobly to the quarter-day board at Not- 
tingham. 

I then went to Great Croppel, and, according to re- 
port, good was done. At Little Croppel I preached in 
the Methodist chapel, at the request of the people, and 
satisfaction was given; indeed, in those parts, the spirit 
of bigotry appeared to be annihilated ; union in saving 
souls was the order of the day ; the Methodist class- 
leader led our class as well as his own. 

I now proceeded to Bingham, where I preached in 
the market-place to about two thousand people ; the 
power of the Highest fell upon many. Again I preached 
in the market-place, and it was both a weeping and re- 
joicing time, and I trust much good was done ; indeed, 
a true minister will never know all the good that his 
ministry achieves in this world. When I had concluded 
the service in the market-place, a woman came up and 
shook hands with me, and told me I was her father in 
Christ. I never remembered seeing the woman an- 
terior to this period. The next time I preached at this 
place I renewed the tickets of the society, and was as- 
sailed with some trouble. We had two classes in the 
place, but one of the leaders wished to have what some 
designate a " free gospel;" that is, for the members to 
give nothing to the support of God's cause. This un- 
scriptural sentiment produced confusion and disruption 
in the society, and a scattering took place ; part of the 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 123 

people gave up their religion and went into the world ; 
others went to the Wesleyans, inconsistently enough ; 
and we retained what was left ; however, those that 
remained were of one heart and one mind, and there 
appeared a greater probability of doing good in our 
future operations. 

I went next to Granby, and preached in a chapel 
built by Mrs. Goy ; the Lord made bare his holy arm, 
and such was the consternation of some in the congre- 
gation, that they decamped ; but the Lord set one soul 
at liberty. 

At East Bridgford I stood up in the open air to 
preach Christ, but, as it was observed by some, the 
devil and the parish parson sent two persecutors, who 
blew great horns in order to drown my voice, and to 
prevent the people hearing words whereby they might 
be saved ; but Mrs. Lockwood being present, she 
offered me the use of a chapel which belonged to her ; 
I therefore immediately descended from my position, 
struck up a hymn, and proceeded to the chapel, the 
congregation following me. In the chapel all was tran- 
quil during the service ; neither the parson nor his 
musicians thought proper to enter to annoy us ; but 
the best of it was, God converted George Herod, who 
is now a travelling preacher with us. I preached a 
second time, and gave the society tickets, and found 
the members in a blessed state of prosperity. I then 
preached at Whatton, Sibthorp, and Throwton, at which 
places God confirmed his own word. 

At Bottesford I unfurled the banner of the cross, 

and preached from Matt. xii. 41. This place was very. 

hardened, and its opposition was very powerful. A 

band of music was hired to play, to prevent the people 

g2 



124 LIFE OF 

from hearing the gospel of their salvation : the scenes 
exhibited occasionally were very singular — the people 
and the preacher singing, the band playing, dogs 
barking, persecutors grinning ; but by-and-by we got 
delivered from the band, for the big drummer got struck 
by the power of God, and he would drum no more ; 
and then we obtained partial deliverance from perse- 
cution, as well as a place to preach in. At another 
place in this neighbourhood they rang the bells in order 
to drown the preacher's voice ;. but deliverance came 
again, for the great bell cracked, and the ringing was 
ended ; and some of the people observed, that if they 
attempted to ring again to oppose the " Ranters" the 
steeple would fall. 

From this place I proceeded onwards to Screveton, 
and preached in the open air, met the society, and 
joined five, and then pushed on to Balderton : and not- 
withstanding I was much exhausted, I stood up and 
preached in the open air to a great company, renewed 
the tickets, and received four members into the church : 
at this place the preachers were most affectionately 
entertained at the house of Brother G. Turner, who was 
a succourer of many, and of myself also. 

The town of Newark was my next place of minis- 
terial labour ; and in this town I was once more asso- 
ciated with Brother J. Wedgwood. We both preached 
at one hour, apart, he in Mill-gate, and I in North- 
gate; we had large congregations, but my Brother 
Wedgwood's congregation did not conduct itself so 
respectfully as mine. I had good liberty in speaking ; 
and could we have got a place to hold a prayer- 
meeting in after the preaching services, I believe we 
should have had much fruit ; as it was, good was done. 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 125 

A little persecution, however, made its appearance ; for 
at one preaching service the water-engine was brought 
out to play upon the preacher, but a part of the con- 
gregation took the part of the preacher, and became 
so exasperated at those connected with the water-en- 
gine, as to fall upon it and break it. The persecutors 
then applied to the magistrate for redress and for 
damages ; but the magistrate, in examining the case, 
inquired by whose order the engine was brought out ; 
it was then shown that it was by the direction of the 
church parson ; the magistrate then decided that he 
was the party that must pay the damages. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Journal — Leicestershire — Goes to Loughborough, and preaches — Mis- 
sions in several places — Useful labours of Wedgwood — Plainness in 
dress — Wedgwood imprisoned at Grantham — Mr. Lockwood held to 
bail — Sir William Manners — Stone pulpit — Sir William at the 
camp-meeting — Takes the preacher in his carriage to preach at Gran- 
tham — Conversation on the road — Sessions trial — Woodnorth's poem 
on Wedgwood's imprisonment — Preaches at Oakham — Wedgwood 
at Melton Mowbray — Persecution extraordinary — Camp-meeting, 
Packman-lane — Love-feast at Sielby — Mission progress — Leicester — 
Open-air preaching ;Belgrave-gate; magistrates attend — Powerful and 
exhausting labours — Interview with Mr. Woolhouse, from Hull 
— Powerful camp-meeting at Willingoer — Visits Lincoln — Holds a 
camp-meeting in the City — Missions Waddington — Protracted-meet- 
ing — Conversation "with Wedgwood. 

The next place to which I was directed, in the order 
of Divine Providence, in the missionary field, was 
Leicestershire, in the year 1818. The first place I 
preached at in this county was Loughborough. I ar- 
rived in the town about dusk in the evening ; the bell- 
man was immediately sent round the town, to announce 
that a certain preacher would preach that evening ; 
many people attended accordingly ; but I had not that 
freedom in making known the gospel message which 
in general I had experienced in my missionary career. 

I next went on to Quarn, and preached to an over- 
flowing congregation in the Wesleyan Methodist chapel, 
and I trust it was not in vain. On the Friday it was 
given out for me to preach at Mount Sorall in the open 
air, to commence about noon, but the weather proving 
unfavourable, the design was abandoned ; but a request 
arrived from Sielby for me to go thither and hold forth 
the word of life in the Wesleyan Methodist chapel. I 



LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 127 

had not arrived in the place more than half an hour 
before the chapel was filled excessively ; indeed the 
whole country appeared to be on a move ; the spirit of 
conviction had extensively gone abroad among the 
people. In the preaching service at the above place I 
enjoyed a blessed season — a time of refreshing from the 
presence of the Lord. 

I hastened on, without making any delay, to Sea- 
grave, and preached in the evening in a chapel which 
was the property of a farmer in the place, and who 
opened his house to entertain us, as the servants of the 
Most High God. Afterwards I led a lovefeast in 
another chapel belonging to Mr. Goy, a kind and af- 
fectionate friend to our cause. In the lovefeast the 
people took courage and spoke freely of the mercy and 
goodness of God to their souls, by our instrumentality ; 
the good hand of our God being upon us, and particu- 
larly with reference to Brother Wedgwood and Brother 

B n, whose labours had been greatly owned and 

blessed among them. One man remarked, that when 
he was awakened and in distress for his soul, and 
anxious to go to some place of worship to find 
some people with whom he might take counsel, he 
observed in the street some women dressed in plain 
bonnets, proceeding to some place where prayer was 
wont to be made ; attracted by their plainness and sim- 
plicity, and the piety of their demeanour, he followed 
them, and whilst engaged with them in calling upon 
God, his soul was set at liberty. I took occasion to 
remark from this narration how incumbent it is on the 
part of religious people to be patterns of plainness in 
dress, and for our females to attire themselves as women 
professing godliness. 

Being informed that Brother Wedgwood, with whom 



128 LIFE OF 

I had gone upon several missionary campaigns, was 
thrown into prison for preaching the gospel of the grace 
of God at the Market-cross in the town of Grantham, 
I set off to have an interview with my fellow-labourer 
in the kingdom and patience of Jesus. I called upon 
Mr. Lockwood, of East Bridgford, on my way, and he 
told me that Brother Wedgwood had given bail, and 
that he and Brother Benton would attend a camp- 
meeting on the morrow nearBuckminster. He likewise 
informed me, that when he heard that Brother Wedgwood 
was arrested and committed to prison, he put his horse 
into the gig, and rode to Grantham, and took Wedg- 
wood's place in preaching ; but presently the constables 
came and took him also, and conducted him before the 
magistrates, who immediately made out his mittimus for 
prison ; he then gave bail on his own recognizances 
until the quarter sessions, and returned home. 

It may be observed here, that between the intolerant 
magistrates of Grantham, and Sir William Manners, of 
Buckminster, there existed considerable opposition ; and 
when Sir William was informed that the magistrates 
had committed the preacher for preaching at the Mar- 
ket-cross, he immediately ordered a pulpit to be erected, 
built of stone, near the town-hall, that the preachers 
might occupy it whenever they thought proper to 
address the people in the Market-place, none daring to 
make them afraid. 

Mr. Lockwood, to whom I have referred, favouring 
me with the loan of a horse, I proceeded to the camp- 
meeting near the residence of Sir William Manners, and 
joined my former colleagues in the work of the Lord. 
In the afternoon Sir William came to the camp-meeting 
in his carriage, and requested that one of the preachers 
should accompany him to Grantham, to preach in the 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 129 

pulpit which he had erected for that purpose in the 
market-place. One of the brethren expressing his wil- 
lingness to go, Sir William desired him to step into the 
carriage, and they rode off to Grantham. As they were 
going along, Sir William asked the preacher whether 
or not he and his brethren were inspired men. The 
preacher replied that his soul was full of glory. Sir Wil- 
liam then said that he should like to hear him preach — 
would he have the goodness to preach to his coachman 
as they proceeded ? The preacher replied, that if he 
would stop the carriage, he would preach to the people 
in the village through which they were passing, through 
the carriage window ; but Sir William declined that 
proposal, and drew up the window blinds. On ar- 
riving near the town, a chaise was prepared to carry 
the preacher into town. When arrived at the market- 
place, a servant of Sir William attended, and the preacher 
ascended his pulpit of stone, and preached to the as- 
sembled people. When he came back by the stage- 
coach at night, he told us he had proclaimed the gospel 
from the new pulpit, and that he had had a very plea- 
sant journey. The camp-meeting, during the day, was 
powerfully supported ; much good was done ; and we 
concluded about five o'clock in the evening. 

When the sessions came at which Brothers Wedg- 
wood and Lockwood had to surrender to their bail, the 
trial came on. Counsel was provided for the prisoners, 
who were put to the bar ; but the result was, a verdict 
was given for the defendants ; consequently, the magis- 
trates having lost the cause, they had to pay all the 
costs of the trial. 

On the occasion of the iniquitous imprisonment of 
Brother Wedgwood, a poem was written by Brother T. 
Woodnorth, one of the first men that came forward to 
g 3 



130 LIFE OF 

support itinerancy in our connexion in a pecuniary 
point of view. He was no poet, nor the son of one ; 
but the circumstance of this persecution first kindled 
the muse in his bosom, and he produced the following 
lines, which I here insert in these memoirs of my life, in 
memory of a man whose friendship I highly esteemed ; 
and with whom in the unclouded region among sainted 
spirits, I trust I shall spend a happy eternity before 
the throne, singing, " Unto Him that loved us, and 
washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath 
made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, 
unto Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen." 

THE POEM. 

My muse is cheer'd, and praise hath fired my tongue ; 

111 sing of Grantham, and its Belial throng. 

Come, pious Britons, turn a listening ear, 

For what have pious Britons now to fear ? 

Our laws most nohly keep the rude dogs down, 

"Who hate true prophets, and at virtue frown. 

The men of Grantham knew not Britain's way, 

O'erpower'd with anger, took a lamb for prey, — 

In prison thrust a harmless child of Christ 

For preaching Jesus ; what a false arrest ! 

But hear me out ; 'tis not half my tale ; 

They loosed Wedgwood merely at his hail. 

Thus Satan trains the scholars at his school : 

They are but idiots taught to play the fool. 

The law came home, and these grandees were told, 

Their captain Lucifer had been too bold 

In rallying out his legions to the field, 

Each was a cut-throat with a broken shield. 

Wonder of wonders ! Jesus rules the world ! 

See greatness humbled, and fierce anger cool'd. 

And now I marvel at the thing well known, 

Lo, Grantham's famous pulpit made of stone ; 

Fraught with good zeal, witness Sir William's hand, 

The knight of Buekminster, who made a stand 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 131 

Against the sons of envy in the fight, 

To damp their fury, and to calm their spite. 

That monument he raised to Jesu's name, 

To preach the Crucified, and spread his fame. 

This was an act as brave as e'er was told 

By daring warriors, who in crimson roll'd 

Their dyed garments in the field of blood, 

And for their honour nobly stood 

The hottest battle in the fiercest form, 

Close thundering cannon with a mortar storm. 

'Twas done for God, this makes the action shine 

More bright than sun o'er equinoctial line. 

In vain the archers strove to stay the flight 

Of Jesu's heralds with the gospel light ; 

They rise, I see them, yea they reach the sky, 

And eye the fowler, and his piece defy. 

Would heathens rage ? would men contend with God ? 

Let them remember his majestic rod 

Of old, when Pharaoh chased the sacred seed 
From Egypt's borders, whom the Lord had freed. 
He spoke — sea ran in heaps irom trackless sand, 
While Israel's sons went as on dry land : 
Then follow'd Pharaoh with a heart of stone, 
Bent on their ruin, though he found his own, 
Heedless, unguarded, for an heathen wreath, 
To follow Israel with the shafts of death. 
No sooner were the sands with thousands spread^ 
But seas rush'd backward, and the hosts were dead. 
Thus Israel sung in notes of joyful strain, 
God o'erthrew Pharaoh, and his hosts hath slain. 
Examples numerous we might bring forth 
To show strict justice, and his peals of wrath ; 
Let one suffice — God speaks, let men revere ; 
Come, take the caution, cease to interfere 
With his anointed — don't his prophets harm, 
For threaten'd thunders will the world alarm. 
Then woe to them by whom the offences come, 
When Gabriel's trumpet wakes them up to shame 
Learn, men of Grantham, 'tis not gowns and gain 
Which keep our island in the dashing main ; 



132 LIFE OF 

*Tis God, in churches not of brick and stone, 

That 's our foundation ; there we rest aione. 

Yet Grantham rebels did those men arrest 

Whom prince and state give law for preaching Christ. 

But we forgive ; 't is not revenge we seek j 

And pity those who badly make a leak, 

With anger wild bore through the vessel's side, 

So fond of brimstone sink in fiery tide. 

Go, Christian teachers, enter every town, 

Storm Satan's kingdom ; truth will beat it down. 

God was with Daniel in the lions' den, — 

And will he leave you to the hate of men ? 

No ; you have proved him in the faithful way ; 

Jehovah's Son and Spirit are your stay, 

Your strength and succour in th' Eternal Three. 

With peaceful souls, with confidence and glee, 

Pursue your course, though devils bar the way, 

And though the mighty o'er the meek bear sway. 

Who can contend with Him who made the sun? 

Or stop the Saviour who the battle won ? 

Whose hallow'd cross was stain'd with crimson gore 

On Calvary's mount ; there Satan lost his power ; 

In part sore weaken'd by that break of chain, 

Continues reeling on earth's conquer'd plain, 

Burning with anger 'gainst the bleeding Lamb 

In human nature, to the creature shame, 

Follow'd by matchless arms must yield at last 

To brighter spirits, and endure the blast 

Of God's eternal storm, in flaming fire, 

Where pains afflict, and hope's bright rays expire. 

We trace this hero from the birth of time, 

And show you Jesus by prophetic line. 

Through cloudy types our Victor made his way, 

Dispelling darkness by the opening day, 

A day desired by kings and prophets too, 

(Withheld in wisdom, but reserved for you,) 

Whose yielding minds like supple willows bend, 

Resign earth's pleasures, and to mercy lend 

The willing ear, the willing contrite heart, 

Whose resolutions, found in truth, to part 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 

With every sin so pleasing to the mind 
Of sensual creatures, who forget that kind, 
Eternal Hand, bestowing good on those 
Who even mock him, and forget his cause ; 
The best on earth, because it leads to joy 
Surpassing earthly, which can never cloy. 

Turn, men of Grantham, why did ye abuse 
The men of honour ? I have lent my muse 
To vindicate their right, and show the wrong 
Of stabbing virtue by a clam'rous throng. 
Had heathens done it, in some foreign clime, 
We'd said nought of it, nor reproved in rhyme ; 
But as such usage is in Britain found, 
You might expect the sword of truth to wound 
The head of error, on the sinful plain, 
And leave it silent as the breathless slain. 
Our God, our king, our country, all defend 
The pious Britons, and assistance lend ; 
The law, unbribed, regards both rich and poor ; 
How blest the kingdom, and how safe to moor 
Within thy clefts, England ! when the gale 
Of rising anger in proud minds assail, 
To drive the glorious fleet, by furious rage, 
From peaceful harbour and good anchorage. 
Praised be that God, who shelter'd Britain's shore 
From Bonner's sons, with ensigns dipp'd in gore ; 
Yea, let the people praise Thee night and day : 
So prays the writer, and may Israel say 
" Amen, in truth, our God he is the Lord ;" 

May Grantham know it, and embrace his word. 

We love you, sinners, and we wish you well ; 

The word untainted is the truth we tell. 

We are no daubers ; for we read that wall, 

Raised with bad mortar, must together fall 

With its unskilful builders to the flame, 

To feel the burnings of eternal pain. 

Turn, men of Grantham ! haste ! make no delay 

Your Bibles tell you of a coming day, 

A day terrific ; the awful fire ! 

Who would not shun it, and to life aspire? 



133 



134 LIFE OF 

Turn, Grantham sinners, ere it be too late ; 

Doth conscience slumber ? won't you see your fate ? 

Do not convictions press? Dead souls, arise ! 

Is earth superior to the blood-bought prize ? 

Turn, sinners, turn ; we ask the reason, why 

Is sin so pleasing ? is it safe to die ? 

What! die unchanged? and dare you face grim death 

Before the Spirit whispers a new birth ? 

The most impious tremble on that wheel, 

And fain would shun it, when its pains they feel ; 

When eyelids close, and eyeballs lowly sink, 

And paleness triumphs o'er vermilion's tint ; 

When the sad spirit heaves the guilty groan, 

And weeping friends around the body mourn ; 

When black reflections rake up ev'ry sin, 

And conscience answers to the truth within ; 

When demons, too, await in that sad hour, 

Hell, close behind, stands ready to devour; 

As Dives, thoughtless souls away they go, 

Our Bibles tell us, to the pit of woe ! 



The following extract of a letter from Brother Shar- 
man, addressed to a friend of his, will throw additional 
light on this affair. 

"St. Ives, Cornvjally December 1st, 1842. 

" Dear Brother, 

" I became acquainted with Mr. William 
Clowes and the Primitive Methodist Connexion in one 
and the same day. Having previously heard of the 
purposed camp-meeting to be held upon the estate of 
Sir William Manners, not far from Grantham, in Lin- 
colnshire, on Sunday, , 18 — , I, with a num- 
ber of others, went the distance of fifteen miles, and 
arrived on the camp-ground in time for the morning 
services. The day was very fine, and all the morning 
the people were coming up in large numbers, from 
every quarter: such a concourse of people met for divine 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 135 

worship as we had never seen before. It was not only 
the first camp-meeting, but the first out-of-door wor- 
ship that had ever been seen by many hundreds of us, 
and with its services we were greatly excited. The 
meeting was held in a fine broad green lane, sheltered 
by a beautiful and high thorn-hedge, with the spreading 
oaks growing thick therein ; under its shade hundreds 
stood. The preachers present were Wedgwood, Ben- 
ton, Heath, and Clowes. The latter came, after holding 
a service at some other place. I saw Mr. Clowes as 
he approached the crowd, and he immediately entered 
into the work of the ministry in some of its depart- 
ments with great zeal. I had never seen him before ; 
and although now many years since, I have the most 
perfect recollection of his movements and manner of 
exercise ; the text which he took was Gen. vii. 1 ; and 
the impression the discourse made upon the assembled 
multitudes, and especially upon myself, was great. 
The above meeting found me with a small degree of 
Divine light beaming upon my mind, with a feeble 
desire for salvation. As the services proceeded, the 
light and concern within me increased. And at the 
close of the day I was found, by faith, happy in Christ, 
the ' Ark' to which I had been so powerfully invited 
by Mr. Clowes. I was not only fully decided to de- 
vote myself to Christ, but also to labour to serve the 
interests of the Primitive Methodist Connexion, which 
I have, in some humble degree, done for at least twenty 
years. My resolution, in reference to the Connexion, I 
was by Providence prevented from fulfilling for a few 
years ; but from that great day I have been making 
at least some feeble effort in God's service. I cannot 
help stating, that at the close of the afternoon's service, 
I saw Sir William Manners' carriage come upon the 



136 



LIFE OF 



camp-ground ; and I stood looking upon Benton, while 
he, putting his hymn-book and Bible into his pocket, 
assisted by the footman, without much ceremony stepped 
into the carriage, and was driven off to preach upon the 
notable stone pulpit at Grantham in the evening, In 
the evening Mr. Clowes, and I think Wedgwood, went 
to Coltshall, a town upon the great north road between 
Stamford and Grantham, and I took tea. with them at 
the house of a friend, whose name, I believe, was Golds- 
worth. Mr. Clowes preached out of doors upon the hill, 
not far from the Methodist chapel, in the evening, to 
many people ; we afterwards held a prayer meeting in 
the Methodist chapel. The great amount of good done 
that day will much of it remain a secret until the great 
day reveals it ; for much of the fruit of its labours was 
thrown into other religious connexions. I returned 
home late at night with my company, and we praised 
God, and talked of the strange things we had heard, 
seen, and felt. 

" Thus ended the first day of my acquaintance with 
the Primitive Methodist Connexion and with Mr. 
Clowes ; who can tell how I shall end the last ? I 
hope and pray that my last day of connexion with the 
people of my early choice may be my best day, 

" I remain, my dear brother, yours affectionately, 

"Henry Sharman." 



" Dear Brother Clowes, 

" I heard a respectable tradesman of Eagle (a 
town seven miles from Lincoln) say, that he heard 
you preach in Lincoln, when some one threw a stone 
which brought blood from your face ; and the manner in 
which you bore the insult, and prayed for the insulter, 
led to his conversion. At the time he told me he was 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 137 

a Wesleyan, but showed great kindness to our people. 
I did not know whether or not you were in possession 
of the above fact. I should like to know at what dis- 
tance of time we may expect the appearance of your 
Life. Yours affectionately in the Lord, 

"Henry Sharman," 



On the morning subsequent to the Buckminster 
camp-meeting I proceeded to the town of Oakham, in 
the county of Rutland, on the King's business, which 
required haste. I arrived in the evening, and preached 
at seven o'clock, in the open air, to a well-behaved 
people ; a kind friend took me under his hospitable 
roof after I had done. 

After making arrangements for preaching the fol- 
lowing fortnight, I pushed forward to Melton Mow- 
bray. When I entered the town, I was informed that 
Wedgwood had just concluded preaching in the open 
air, and had gone to a village about three miles dis- 
tant. I therefore followed him to the village, and 
stood up and preached in the street; the multitude was 
very large ; and when I had proceeded about half-way 
through my discourse, a man on horseback, with a 
drawn sword in his hand, storming and threatening, 
rode up among the people, and vowed to take ven- 
geance on the preacher ; but the people checked him 
in his advance by drawing close around me. He made 
repeated efforts to force his way through the people, 
but he failed ; so I received no harm. We held a 
prayer-meeting in one of the people's houses after the 
preaching ; and notwithstanding the persecutors raged, 
and threw dung and stones upon us, yet in the name of 



138 LIFE OF 

the Lord we lifted up our banners, and made a stand in 
Jesus' all-conquering name. 

The next preacher that attended Oakham had no 
sooner begun to preach than he was assailed with a 
terrible storm of persecution ; and had he not taken to 
his heels he would in all probability have been killed 
by the infuriated mob : it pursued him a considerable 
distance, but the preacher taking a circuitous direc- 
tion, escaped without hurt. The next preacher that 
ventured to go had not long been engaged in the 
services before many of the rabble came up with a 
basket of eggs, intending to pop the eggs one by one 
at the preacher ; but their fury became so exasperated 
that they dashed the basket and all the eggs together 
at the man of God, and then knocked him down, and 
threw themselves upon him ; by the mercy of God, 
however, the preacher got up and made his escape. 

A short time after these transactions we held a camp- 
meeting at Packman-lane ; some thousands of people 
attended ; the preachers had great freedom in address- 
ing the people ; altogether it was a most blessed 
meeting. In the evening Wedgwood and I went to 
Sielby, and held a love-feast in a barn ; the people 
spoke freely of the dealings of God to their souls, and 
I had the happiness to hear from the lips of several, 
that my labours were not in vain in the Lord. The 
next day, at one o'clock in the afternoon, I preached in 
the open air to a well-behaved and strongly-affected 
people. Brother Wedgwood and I then pushed on to 
Barrow Wake, and we both preached apart ; we first 
sang through the streets, and the multitudes ac- 
companied us. We continued the open air service 
until ten o'clock, by which time it was dark ; but the 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 139 

people were so much affected by the power of God in 
the word preached, that they would not disperse. We 
preached again in the open air, and we had another 
glorious time of refreshing from the presence of the 
Lord. We then preached our way to Nottingham, 
and back again to Sielby, were we saw the arm of 
God made bare, and Satan fall like lightning from 
heaven. 

On Sunday we proceeded to hold a camp-meeting at 
Croxton-lane-ends, near Bursbay ; here the word of 
the Lord prevailed, and many experienced the convert- 
ing power. From this place we went onwards to 
Leicester the same evening. As we went through the 
villages thither, we sang the high praises of our God ; 
the people flocked after us, and appeared moved with 
astonishment. When we arrived in Leicester we were 
very weary, and it was very late at night ; in the 
morning, however, we marched forth and hoisted the 
gospel standard in Belgrave-gate ; it was supposed that 
about two thousand people gathered themselves together 
on this occasion. We both preached ; Wedgwood from 
Job xxii. 21, and I from Rev. iii. 20. Just as I was 
rising to address the congregation, a person whispered 
in my ear that an alderman and one of the magistrates 
were present, but I did not feel any fear on that 
account ; I felt my soul impressed with a consciousness 
of higher powers — the value of immortal souls, and the 
necessity which lay on me to cry aloud and spare not, 
regardless of the trifling distinctions of earthly rank 
and power. The multitude on this occasion were ex- 
ceedingly well behaved, a deep solemnity reigned over 
the meeting, and all was as still and quiet as if we had 
been in a chapel. We terminated our proceedings 



140 LIFE OF 

about twelve o'clock, and at half-past one we held a 
prayer-meeting in Orchard-street, in a friend's house. 
The gathering together again was very numerous ; vast 
numbers stood on the outside, many were powerfully 
affected and cried for pardoning mercy, and their cries 
were not in vain. It was supposed that about twenty 
souls found the Lord, and rejoiced in sins forgiven : 
the prayer-meeting continued till six o'clock in the 
evening. When I came out of the house I found my 
clothes were as wet as thatch on a very rainy day ; 
after partaking of a cup of tea we set out and walked 
seven miles to Sielby ; we felt ourselves so much ex- 
hausted on the way that Wedgwood was inclined to lie 
down in a meadow, but I opposed this, as we should 
have endangered our lives by such a course. 

After a good night's rest, and breakfast, we departed 
from Sielby, to walk a distance of seventeen miles ; we 
then took leave of each other, that we might preach at dif- 
ferent places. When I had done preaching at one place, 
a respectable person came up to me and told me he had 
heard me preach on the Monday morning in Belgrave- 
gate, and invited me to go down to Hull on a mission. 
I told him that I had met with a person at Lough- 
borough that week who had told me of a certain woman 
living at Hull, who was a speaker, and was much op- 
posed ; that she held a prayer-meeting in her house on 
the sabbath-day, and that if a mission was undertaken, 
it would, by the providence of God, soon be established. 
This person then bid me good night ; but when we 
parted, a thought struck me that he was the husband 
of the female speaker at Hull ; I therefore followed the 
individual, and asked some persons that stood by if 
they knew the person with whom I had been in con- 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 141 

versation ; they told me his name was Woolhouse. 
I then immediately remembered that that was the name 
of the woman alluded to, and that he must be her 
husband. 

After this interview I felt a strong desire to bend my 
course to Hull, there to make known the salvation of 
God ; and it was not long before, in His providence, my 
steps were directed thither. Brother Wedgwood soon 
joined me again, and on a Friday evening we went on 
to Willingoer, in Lincolnshire, to conduct a camp- 
meeting. We commenced it about nine o'clock in the 
morning; and matters went on very smoothly until a 
little before noon, when a sharp skirmish took place, 
occasioned by a vigorous movement of the bands whose 
hearts the Lord touched, against the uncircumcised 
tribe. A cry for mercy was uttered, and two of the 
preachers descended from the wagon to assist the 
wounded. The heathen then raged, and the wicked 
imagined vain things ; but the movement increased ; 
several that were arrested as prisoners of hope came to 
the wagon, begging me to assist them in breaking the 
bonds of their captivity. Thus, in the wagon and 
around it, the combat was maintained ; the hosts of 
hell manoeuvred with great dexterity, and laboured to 
throw all into a heap of confusion. I turned my eye 
upon some of these Philistines, and God accompanied 
my glance with an arrow of conviction, and two or 
three of the rebels fell into the rear as if utterly power- 
less, and remained quiet during the remainder of the 
meeting. After partaking of a little refreshment at 
noon, we resumed the meeting again, and broke up 
about five o'clock in the evening. The concourse of 
people was very great, but the major part of them were 



142 LIFE OF 

very unsteady, careless, and hardened. At half-past 
six o'clock in the evening I preached in the street; and 
then, in the house of Francis Cotton, held a prayer- 
meeting ; we continued this prayer-meeting until morn- 
ing ; many were in distress of mind, and cried out in 
the disquietude of their souls ; but others were like the 
flinty rock; for whilst we prayed with the mourners, 
they stood over us, expressing their scorn and ridicule 
at our proceedings ; nevertheless, amid all this apparent 
disorder, obloquy, and confusion, lasting good was done. 
After these things we began to direct our attention 
towards the city of Lincoln, and announced a fortnight 
before, that we should, in the name of the Lord, in that 
city lift up our banners ; which we did accordingly, 
between the minster and the new gaol. We began the 
labours of the day about nine in the morning, and 
terminated them about nine at night. About eleven 
o'clock in the forenoon, the conflict with the powers of 
darkness was very hot ; a goat, which some sons of 
Belial procured, was run in among the congregation 
with a shout of three times three, and throwing dust in 
the air; but we remained in firm phalanx amid this 
storm, and returned upon the legions of the devil a 
powerful discharge from the big guns of Sinai, whilst at 
the same time we unfurled the ensigns of the cross of 
Jesus, inviting the enemy to ground his arms, and 
surrender upon the terms of peace and reconciliation 
offered in the gospel. Many that day did accept of 
offered pardon ; the solemn stillness, and the tears 
which stood in the eyes of numbers, were evidently 
indicative of this ; generally the work of conversion 
went on well during the day ; and as a division of the 
grand army of Emmanuel, we that day took the city, 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 143 

and we have not been driven out of it to this day. 
Hallelujah ! 

The day after the Lincoln meeting we pushed on to 
Waddington, a village about four miles from Lincoln, 
and preached in the open air to a vast congregation ; 
most of the heads of the town attended. We were 
kindly received by a farmer in the place, who had been 
at the Lincoln camp-meeting the day before, and who 
came forward to lend us a wagon in which we might 
stand to address the people. We had great freedom in 
preaching to the assembled multitudes a present, full, 
and free salvation by faith in the blood of the Lamb, 
in the presence of the clergyman, high and low, rich 
and poor. We had a prayer-meeting in the farmer's 
house in the evening ; we began well, and went on with 
a blessed feeling of liberty and unction. By-and-by, 
however, the farmer intimated to me that as there were 
only himself, his son, Wedgwood, and I, as praying 
labourers, and as it was getting late, and they had to 
rise early to work the next morning, that it was neces- 
sary to conclude the meeting. I told him to ask Brother 
Wedgwood to conclude ; he did so ; but Wedgwood 
cried out, that Jacob wrestled with the angel until the 
break of day. This was a result which I was rather 
afraid of; for Wedgwood's practice was, never to con- 
clude a meeting whilst one person would stay with him. 
The farmer then appeared rather tried, and came to me 
again, urging me to finish the meeting ; but I was aware, 
if I did, Wedgwood would begin again. I therefore 
thought of an expedient which might probably answer 
in the circumstances in which we were placed ; and that 
was, that when he should call upon me to pray, I should 
remain silent. Accordingly, when my turn appeared 



144 LIFE OF 

to arrive, he called upon me ; but I responded to his 
call by getting up off my knees, and shaking hands 
with the people, and bidding them a good night; thus 
the meeting concluded. On the next day I conversed 
with Brother Wedgwood at large on the impropriety 
of his movements the preceding evening, in crossing 
the minds of the people in their own dwelling-house, 
in protracting the prayer-meeting to an inconvenient 
period, and producing irritation and uneasiness in the 
minds of the parties, and thereby shutting up our way 
of usefulness when every thing appeared to indicate 
that, by prudent and by proper management, by being 
as wise as serpents and harmless as doves, the great 
enterprise in which w T e were embarked might be carried 
into every hamlet, village, town, and city in the em- 
pire, and then, borne onwards by the same prudent and 
unconquerable energy on the part of our worthy co- 
adjutors and successors, to the ends of the earth; 

" Thrice happy day! the day I long to see, 
When every child of Adam shall be free." 

After this I again visited my friends in Derbyshire, 
and held a camp-meeting at Hulland. We had good 
attendance and a gracious influence ; two or three souls 
were brought into distress, and obtained salvation ; on 
the whole it was a good day. I also visited Samuel 
Simcock's widow, in the neighbourhood of Langford. 
I preached at Church Broughton ; the Lord was present. 
I gave tickets to the society. A little after this I went 
to Sutton, near Church Broughton, where I preached 
Mrs. Simcock's funeral sermon from 2 Sam. xiv. 14. 
Her trials had been heavy ; she had been twice left a 
widow, in care of fatherless children. She took her 



"WILLIAM CLOWES. 145 

husband's complaint, which was a consumption, brought 
on by being overheated ; (see a memoir of him in the 
July number of the Primitive Methodist Magazine for 
the year 1819.) She, however, bore her trials with 
Christian fortitude. I had always supposed her to be 
a woman of weak faith ; but she died full of triumph. 
How truly is it said, "As thy day is, so shall thy 
strength be." 

With Samuel I was intimately acquainted. With him 
I often took, sweet counsel, and was refreshed in spirit. 
I admired his piety and zeal in the good cause. I was 
entertained in his house, and felt much affected by his 
death ; but I look forward with joy to the day when I 
shall meet my old friends in the country where all 
fare well. 



CHAPTER XV. 

Journal — Yorkshire — Mission to Hull — Mrs. Woolhouse and John 
Oxtoby — Preaches in the old factory, in Hull — Reflections on for- 
mer times — Methodist local preacher interdicted — Remarks — Jane 
Brown — Brother Atterby — Regulations — Preaches at Hessle with 
John Oxtoby — Missions new ground — Persecution at Hull — Con- 
gregation panic-struck — Work advances — First love-feast at Hull — 
Overwhelming congregations — Attends Nottingham board — John 
Harrison and wife — Success. 

It being fully decided to undertake the proposed 
mission to Hull, of which mention has been made in a 
former chapter, after visiting my friends at Tunstall, 
and arranging my family concerns, I parted with my 
wife, and many brethren to whom I was greatly attached ; 
and though I felt much, the love of God and a sense 
of duty supported me at the moment of separation. 
It was on the 12th of January, 1819, that I departed 
from the place of my early religious associations to 
begin the arduous work which lay before me. I arrived 
in the town of Hull on Friday, the 15th, and made my 
way to the residence of Mr. Woolhouse. As soon as I 
entered the house, Mrs. Woolhouse and John Oxtoby, 
commonly called Praying Johnny, fell down upon their 
knees and returned thanks to God for my safe arrival. 
This act of devotion was very encouraging to me, and 
became a prelude to greater things. On the very day 
of my entering into Hull I preached in the evening 
in an old factory in North- street. Vast numbers of 
people attended, many influenced by curiosity, others 
with an intention to create disturbance, having heard of 



LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 147 

the arrival of the " Ranter preacher ;" however, God 
was present in my first effort to make known the riches 
of his mercy, and the wicked were restrained, so the 
meeting terminated in peace and quiet. On the day 
following I took a walk down to the pottery by the 
Humber side, where I had worked upwards of fifteen 
years before, when I was in the old olive tree, which is 
wild by nature ; but I found the working of the pottery 
had been discontinued ; I however entered the place, 
and proceeded to the room in which I formerly labour- 
ed, and kneeled down and praised God for the great 
change he had wrought in me. I then returned, and 
took a walk up and down the streets and lanes in 
which I had formerly wrought folly and wickedness. 
It brought to my recollection the time and place when 
captured by the press-gang, and other circumstances 
of dissipation and riot. O what gratitude filled my 
soul when indulging in the contrast ! — instead of reck- 
less and brutal conduct, throwing the reins upon my 
passions, neither fearing God nor regarding man ; I am 
now a sinner saved by grace, and a missionary of the 
cross. 

On Sunday morning I preached again in the old 
factory to a large congregation ; the Divine power was 
very strong in the service, and many wept : it was a 
time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. One 
local preacher belonging to a certain denomination was 
present, and he was greatly blessed ; but he was im- 
mediately brought up by the preachers to account for 
his conduct in going to hear me. When questioned on 
the subject, the preacher observed, that the man whom 
he heard preach in the factory preached the gospel with 
the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. One of the 
h2 



148 LIFE OF 

travelling preachers asked him if he did not preach the 
gospel with the Holy Ghost from heaven. He replied 
simply, " I do not feel that good under your preach- 
ing that I did under his." However, the result was, 
the local preacher and others were interdicted from 
coming to hear us any more ; in process of time, how- 
ever, this interdict met the fate of many of a similar 
character which successively issued from the same 
quarter — it became unheeded : a spirit more in harmony 
with Christianity began to obtain ; and before the 
world becomes converted, that spirit must predominate 
in all the true churches of Christ, accompanied with 
greater exertions in holding forth to perishing thou- 
sands a present salvation. " Arise, O God, and main- 
tain thy cause !" 

On the same sabbath I heard Jane Brown speak in 
the afternoon with satisfaction of soul ; she had been 
sent down to Hull, to supply my place for a few weeks, 
by the Nottingham quarter-day board. In the evening 
I preached; and after preaching I assembled a few 
friends, and others who felt desirous of church-fellow- 
ship, among whom was Brother Atterby, now a 
travelling preacher, and formed the first two classes, 
over which classes I appointed leaders. I then ap- 
pointed a society steward, and made other regulations 
of discipline. 

On the Tuesday I went to Hessle, a village a short 
distance from Hull ; preached and formed a society : 
here the prospect bore a cheering aspect. From 
Hessle I proceeded onwards in my mission, ac- 
companied by Brother John Ox toby, to Swanland, 
Elloughton, Brantingham, Elliker, South and North 
Cave : in all these places I addressed vast multitudes 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 149 

assembled in the open air, but most generally in barns, 
for it was in the winter season. The word of the 
Lord proved quick and powerful ; many were convinced 
and converted. The bread was cast upon the waters, 
and it has been found after many days. In all the 
places referred to, I formed classes and established 
principles of discipline in conformity with the general 
character of the Primitive Methodist Connexion. 

On Sunday, February 14th, I preached in the factory 
in Hull to a large multitude, but we experienced much 
annoyance ; the wicked poured upon us like floods of 
water : however, God defended us from their rage. On 
the Monday evening following I preached again, and 
the power of the Highest fell upon us ; but at the same 
time a great many rebels rushed in and made such a 
clatter with their feet that all very soon became a scene 
of disorder ; in taking counsel we decided to close the 
meeting. I have no doubt but that good was done ; 
but whether we acted right in terminating the meeting, 
I rather question. 

On Tuesday, February 16th, I held a meeting in the 
upper part of the town. Whilst conducting the service, 
the wicked were very boisterous ; on the outside they 
threw down a wall, and produced much noise and dis- 
turbance : but the Lord was at work also as well as 
the devil. Several were convinced of sin, and two gave 
in their names as members of society. 

I preached again at Hessle ; several were in deep 
conviction, but they did not enter into spiritual liberty. 

On Sunday, 24th, I preached, morning, afternoon, 
and evening, in Hull. We had a gracious visit from 
on high ; but the wicked lifted up their hands against 
us, and were very violent and fierce in their conduct. 



150 LIFE OF 

and excited the people to such a degree, that they 
imagined the place was about to fall upon us. Alarm 
and consternation overwhelmed the multitude in such a 
manner, that they attempted to make their escape from 
the place. The scene presented an indescribable picture 
at this crisis, — some crying for help, others forcing 
their way to the door, whilst some threw up the win- 
dows and jumped out ; but as the building was but 
one story high, there were none seriously injured. At 
the evening service we got the police to guard the door, 
to keep out the most furious of the rabble ; and when 
we commenced our meeting, they shouted and bellowed 
on the outside, and threw up stones, and broke the 
windows. The battle then became very hot, both in- 
side and outside ; however, the " battle was turned to 
the gate ;" for many of the jack- tars who had perse- 
cuted us and fired whole broadsides into us, struck 
their colours, and came aboard of the "Ranters' " ship, 
to sail along with us to the port of glory. 

It became a necessary course, likewise, (to protect the 
great number of anxious inquirers after salvation from 
the violence of the mob,) to apply to the mayor ; by 
his exertions in our favour, three of the sons of Belial 
were imprisoned. On the Monday subsequent to these 
circumstances I preached in the factory, and enjoyed 
one of my best times. 

On Sunday, February 28th, I rode eight miles, walked 
ten, preached three times, and heard two sermons. 
When the day was over I felt exhausted ; but it was 
in a glorious cause, and my soul was happy all the day 
long. At half-past eight I preached in a barn at El- 
loughton. At two I preached in the open air at South 
Cave ; the congregation was so great, that no building 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 151 

in the town would have contained it. It was a time 
that many remember to this day ; the power of Jehovah 
rested upon the living mass of human beings ; all was 
as still as midnight, whilst tears flowed down the faces 
of many, and hundreds of worshippers stood amazed. 
In the evening I spoke in a barn at North Cave ; many 
were on the outside, and several behaved in a disorderly 
manner by throwing water through the air-holes of the 
barn upon the people ; but notwithstanding this, the 
presence of God was powerfully felt. 

On Monday I carried on a religious service in a barn 
in the village of Welton, and on Tuesday preached 
at Brantingham; and good was done in the name of 
Jesus. 

On Wednesday I arrived again in Hull, and gave 
quarterly tickets to five classes, raised up within three 
months. " Praise the Lord, O my soul !" 

March 4th, I preached again at Hessle : the place re- 
sembled a well- watered garden ; five more joined society. 

On Friday, I officiated at Swanland, and gave tickets 
to the society. 

On Sunday, the 7th, I preached in Hull at ten o'clock 
in the morning ; and at one I held the first love-feast 
of Yorkshire Primitives in the old factory. The place 
was nearly full, for people had come a long way, some 
a distance of twenty miles ; the report of a Ranters' 
love-feast had spread greatly abroad. We began ac- 
cording to the discipline established ; admitting none 
but such as had notes, or that could produce quarterly 
tickets showing that they were members of the society. 
One respectable woman and her son came up and 
wished to enter without a note ; but the door-keeper 
was firm in his duty. They then expressed their sur- 



152 LIFE OF 

prise at this regulation ; for they thought any body 
might go into an old factory, into a Ranters' meeting. 
The son departed; but the woman lingered, and would 
not retire. The door-keeper therefore sent for me, 
to ask my opinion on the case. I admitted her ; and 
quickly her views were changed respecting the people 
she had come to see and hear ; and she soon joined the 
society, with her husband, and both became helpers of 
the work. From this case I saw it was necessary to be 
firm in discipline, but not to tighten the reins too much 
in certain instances. The love-feast was exceedingly 
powerful ; many rose up and blessed God for what 
their eyes had seen, testifying that such a love-feast 
they had never enjoyed before ; others wept, and praised 
God who had in his providence mercifully sent the 
Ranters to Hull. 

At half-past six in the evening I preached, but hun- 
dreds retired, not being able to gain admission into 
the place. The spirit of hearing the gospel increased 
more and more ; the fields were white for the harvest. 
O for labourers to enter in ! this was the cry of my 
soul from day to day. 

In March, 1819, I went up to Nottingham, to be 
present at the quarter-day board held there, in order to 
lay before it my accounts, and to request the board to 
send more preachers into the Hull mission. Accord- 
ingly, the quarter-day board appointed Brother John 
Harrison and his wife, along with myself, for Hull. 
We then proceeded with the missionary labours : Brother 
Harrison and I went over the Humber to Barrow, in 
Lincolnshire. We stood up and preached in the open 
air to a numerous company ; some behaved very well, 
but others were very disturbing. Some of the people 



WLLLIAM CLOWES. 153 

invited us to come again and form a society, which 
we did soon afterwards. 

We then visited Barton, and stood up in the market- 
place, and had a good time in announcing our message. 
I afterwards walked to Barrow to sleep that evening. 
I felt myself much fatigued that day ; for I had sung, 
prayed, and preached nearly all the day, besides walk- 
ing fourteen miles. 

On the Lincolnshire side of the Humber I visited 
other villages : at Ulceby we had a most softening and 
weeping time ; such a one, I trust, as will never be 
forgotten. At Limber I preached in the open air ; one 
soul was saved in the Lord. At Holton, Goxhill, and 
Ferriby, the work of God broke out most gloriously ; 
excellent societies were formed, and scriptural dis- 
cipline established. 

On crossing the Humber into Yorkshire again I 
visited Welton, and in a barn I had a blessed time in 
the discharge of my spiritual duties ; also at North and 
South Cave, and at Newbald. At South Cave I 
ministered the word in a large yard belonging to Mr. 
Pickering, who kept an inn, and whose kindness and 
hospitality to me were very great ; his family were much 
attached to our cause ; his daughters received spiritual 
good through our instrumentality. At Newbald I blew 
the gospel-trumpet in a wheelwright's shop to a 
rude and disorderly people, and held a prayer-meeting 
afterwards in the house of Mr. J. Coates. On the 
Monday evening I preached in the Independent chapel, 
and one soul was converted from sin to holiness. I 
then visited B rough and Brantingham again, and 
preached abroad. The clergyman was much opposed to 
our operations, and when I was preaching he advanced 
H 3 



154 LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 

with a very menacing attitude among the people ; but 
when he got within two yards of me he suddenly 
turned to the right about, and wheeled off the ground. 
At a village named Wolby I preached to a miserable 
congregation, and met a class of four afterwards. The 
next day I hastened to Riverbridge, and preached, under 
the open canopy of heaven, to a vast assembly. Here 
God made bare his holy arm, and saved souls ; and a 
Christian church was formed of those who expressed 
their desire to flee from the wrath to come. At this 
place T disposed of forty-four hymn-books, and the 
aspect of circumstances were of a cheering character. I 
then pushed on in my mission, and preached at Mel- 
bourne, Thorganby, "Weldrake, and Elvington : at all 
these places, under the ministry of the word, the grace 
of God came down upon the people, like rain upon the 
mown grass. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Journal — York — The bellman — A difficulty — Preaches in the city — 
Troop of horse — Market Weigh ton — First camp-meeting in Hull — 
Report — Hull a circuit — Missionary tour — Thursday Market, York 
— Camp-meeting at Brantingham Pits — Processioning — Work pro- 
gresses — Ferrybridge — Knottingley — Great excitement — Swearer 
converted. 

Being now in the immediate neighbourhood of the 
city of York, I formed a resolution, in the name of the 
Lord God of Israel, to lift up my banner in that far- 
famed city of churches. Accordingly, I sent a notice 
to the city crier to announce to the citizens of York, 
that a Ranter preacher would preach on the pavement ; 
but the crier sent me word that he durst not give public 
notice of my purpose, unless I first obtained the sanc- 
tion of the lord mayor. Here I soon found I was in a 
measure locked in a difficulty. It occurred to me that 
if I waited upon his lordship, to solicit permission, he 
would very probably refuse me liberty ; and were I to 
attempt preaching after a denial, very likely he would 
order me to prison ; and then if I should pass by the 
city without bearing my testimony in it, my conscience 
would remonstrate, and my duty to God and my fellow- 
creatures would be undischarged ; consequently, I de- 
termined to proceed and preach the gospel in the streets 
of the city, in conformity with the instructions which I 
had received from Jesus Christ, without asking per- 
mission from any one. 

Accordingly, on Monday, May 24th, 1819, at seven 



156 LIFE OF 

o'clock in the evening, I stood up on the pavement in 
the market-place, in the name of the Lord, who had so 
often supported me in similar enterprises. I com- 
menced the service by singing the fourteenth hymn 
in the small hymn-book : 

" Come, come, thou vilest sinner," &c. 

In a short time the people drew up in considerable 
numbers, and the shop doors and other places were 
crowded. All was very quiet until I had sung and 
prayed, when a man in the congregation became rather 
uproarious ; but I got my eye upon him, and he was 
checked. When I had proceeded about half-way through 
my discourse, a troop of horse came riding up, and 
surrounded the congregation and the preacher. The 
devil immediately suggested to me, that the lord mayor 
had sent the soldiers to take me, under the idea that I 
was a radical speaker, inciting the people to rebellion ; 
but I rallied after this shot from the enemy's camp, 
and went on exhorting sinners to flee from the wrath 
to come. I accordingly concluded my sermon without 
molestation ; the soldiers and people retiring in proper 
order. Some asked me who I was, and what I was ; 
I told them my name was William Clowes, and that in 
principle I was a Methodist, and that I would preach 
there again the next fortnight. Accordingly, I took 
up my staff and travelled seven miles to sleep that 
evening, accompanied by a few friends. The day fol- 
lowing I went on to North Duffield, and preached to 
a goodly number with satisfaction. 

At Osgodby I administered the word. When I had 
concluded, a man came up and asked me if my God 
was hard of hearing. I told him certainly not ; but, 
nevertheless, he loved a good shout ; that he had a 



•WILLIAM CLOWES. 



157 



great noise in heaven, for the redeemed there were 
praising him with loud voices, crying, " Worthy is the 
Lamb," &c. The man then went his way, and said no 
more on that matter. 

The next day I made my way to open Market 
Weighton. I preached in the market-place to a well- 
behaved people, who were very courteous and friendly 
in their conduct towards me. The good work of God 
broke out at Market Weighton, and a lovely society 
was formed, and the cause still progresses. 

The day after I left my testimony at Market Weigh- 
ton I proceeded onwards to Hull, and attended a band- 
meeting at the Penitentiary. The people spoke sound 
experience in the form of sound words, and among 
them my spirit was refreshed. 

On Sunday, May 30th, 1819, we held our first camp- 
meeting in Hull ; thousands of people attended. In 
the morning the weather was unfavourable, but in the 
afternoon it was fine. We divided ourselves in the 
forenoon, and preached in five different parts of the 
town. It was my lot to be stationed at the Peniten- 
tiary; we had a glorious cry for mercy, and God proved 
to us the truth of his holy promises. 

The following week was chiefly employed in renew- 
ing the tickets of the society in Hull, and it was truly 
a renewing of our spiritual strength. I gave about 167 
tickets to members in society, all raised up in little 
more than four months ; and those of the country in- 
cluded would amount to about 300 members. 

It was about this time, to the best of my recollection 
June 15th, that the Nottingham quarter-day board was 
held ; and the Hull friends requested to be made into a 
circuit, which request was complied with on the part of 
the Nottingham brethren. Hull then became the head 



158 LIFE OF 

of a circuit, with three hundred members, and three 
travelling preachers, namely, William Clowes, and John 
and Sarah Harrison. 

I now took another range, and arrived at River- 
bridge : here the work of God was going on in a satis- 
factory course. At Market Weighton I again stood up 
in the market-place, and cried, " Behold the Lamb of 
God, which taketh away the sin of the world." The 
presence of the Most High carried the communication 
to sinners' hearts. I afterwards formed a society of 
six members. 

The next evening I spoke at Melbourne. On my 
way thither I was invited to a farm-house to take tea. 
I felt it my duty to ask a blessing upon the food pro- 
vided. Whilst I was in the act of imploring God's 
benediction, the power of God fell upon all present ; 
but one individual did not relish these things, and 
began to talk about the pictures against the wall. I 
endeavoured to turn the subject, by asking the indi- 
vidual what I must do to get more grace and heaven 
into my soul. The power of God then struck him, and 
the mistress of the house began to tremble, and she 
turned pale as death. We then fell down upon our 
knees and prayed, and afterwards I left them weeping 
in distress, having to attend my appointment. 

On the Sunday following I preached three times (in 
the morning at South Cottingwith ; in the afternoon at 
Weldrake ; and in the evening at Elvington ;) in the 
open air, to both rich and poor. One soul was con- 
verted during the services ; indeed, in the morning and 
the afternoon, the Lord was present to bless. 

On the Monday I moved towards York, intend- 
ing to preach again in the city. On my way my spirit 
became greatly exercised ; heavy trouble pressed upon 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 159 

me ; I had an impression of fear and uneasy appre- 
hension respecting my mission to the city : however, as 
I proceeded, I recollected I had counted the cost, and 
however I might be called to suifer, truth would win its 
way, and God would be glorified. I accordingly en- 
tered into York fully determined to proceed in the way 
of duty, and not to be ashamed of the gospel of Christ. 
Therefore, when I stood up in the Thursday market, 
thousands of people gathered around me ; some said we 
should be taken up, but, to my surprise, not a tongue 
of disapprobation was lifted up ; all was quiet, and all 
heard the truth of God proclaimed with the deepest 
attention. I had great liberty in my soul whilst speak- 
ing, and the open air service ended satisfactorily. Soon 
after this a room was taken for preaching, and a society 
was formed : thus God enabled us to take the city, 
and to establish ourselves within its ancient walls. 
The subsequent week I preached at North Duffield, 
Bealby, and Goodmanham ; and the power of the Lord 
of hosts attended all those meetings. 

On Sunday, July 4th, we held a camp-meeting in 
Brantingham Pits ; a wagon and three carts went from 
Hull, and the way was processioned by singing hymns, 
and praying exercises. The camp-meeting was attended 
by prodigious numbers from the towns and villages 
around ; the day was favourable, and the preachers 
were favoured with great freedom of soul in exhorting 
the multitudes to turn to the Lord and seek salvation ; 
and the powerful and pointed appeals were not in vain, 
visible effects were wrought, many sinners were con- 
verted under the preachings and in the praying ex- 
ercises. This glorious camp-meeting terminated about 
five o'clock in the evening, and several of us returned 



160 LIFE OF 

to Hull, a distance of twelve miles, singing and praising 
God for the great things which our eyes had seen. 

I then preached in the Penitentiary in- Hull, with 
signal signs of the Divine approbation ; and in Water- 
house-lane, to about two thousand people, where the 
word had free course, ran, and was glorified. 

Aftei this I went into the country, to Welton, New- 
bald, South and North Cave, Brough, Brantingham, 
and Riverbridge. Such was the awakening power which 
spread among the people at Riverbridge, that sinners 
durst not rest in their beds at night, being afraid if they 
slept they should drop into hell. I proceeded onwards 
to Market Weighton, and preached at my old place in 
the open air ; and it was not in vain. I then went to 
West Cottingwith, and occupied a barn, and had a visit 
from the great Head of the church. On the 18th I 
stood up at Stamford-bridge, in the open air ; held a 
praying service afterwards, and three souls professed to 
find Him of whom Moses and the prophets wrote and 
spoke. I then called at York, and North Duffield, 
and held up Jesus as the Lamb of God taking away the 
sin of the world. I then entered the town of Selby, 
and preached at two o'clock at the cross in the market- 
place, to a very orderly and well-behaved congregation. 
I then opened Snaith, and had a vast number of at- 
tentive hearers. 

On Saturday, the 23rd, I went to Ferrybridge, and 
was affectionately received by Mr. John Bailey, a 
schoolmaster in that place. On Sunday, the 24th, I 
preached at the door of Mr. Bailey, in the open air, at 
nine o'clock ; and at Knottingley I preached abroad to 
a vast crowd. The multitude was so dense that I could 
hardly get along the street ; nevertheless, all was quiet 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 161 

and well-behaved, and a lasting impression was made 
upon the souls of the people. On the Monday evening 
following I preached again at Knottingley, by the 
river side. The congregation was immense, and I had 
one of my best times : the word ran like fire among 
dry stubble, and a great and glorious work afterwards 
broke out in that town and neighbourhood. 

On Tuesday, the 26th, I walked to Snaith, and 
preached in a chapel which the friends there had rented 
for eight pounds per year : the Lord worked effectually 
among the people ; and when I was dwelling, in my 
discourse, upon sinners holding their midnight banquets 
of riot and intemperance, calling, in impious language, 
for damnation upon their eyes and limbs, one man, who 
was a terrible swearer, was cut to the heart, and cried 
aloud for mercy, and God in mercy set his soul at 
liberty : this was a glorious manifestation of the Divine 
arm in plucking a brand from the fire. On the 28th I 
returned to Hull, and preached in Demarris-square, 
when success attended the word. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

Journal — Nottingham preparatory meeting — Particular question dis- 
cussed — Ferrybridge — Persecution — New chapel erected in Hull 
— Lost — Wife ill, restored by prayer of faith — First quarterly meet- 
ing in Hull — List of preaching places — Samuel Laister and John 
Dent — Unconstitutional proceeding — Pocklington and vicinity — 
Rev. Mr. Simpson, of Acklam — Converting work rolls onwards — 
Faith. 

In consequence of the successful and powerful move- 
ments of the Connexion generally, it was deemed ad- 
visable to convene a preparatory meeting, to make cer- 
tain regulations ; one of which was, to hold annually 
a yearly meeting, or general conference. At this period 
the Connexion consisted of four circuits ; namely, Tun- 
stall, Nottingham, Hull, and Loughborough. Accord- 
ingly, I set off, accompanied by two friends, to Not- 
tingham, where the preparatory meeting was appointed 
to be held. Several delegates assembled, and arrange- 
ments of different descriptions were made for the more 
effectually carrying on the work of God amongst us. 
At this meeting it was decided that the first annual 
meeting, or conference, should be held in the town of 
Hull, on May 2, 1820. It was at this preparatory 
meeting at Nottingham that another matter came into 
discussion, and that was, who might be considered as 
the founder of the Primitive Methodist Connexion, as 
it was expedient that a brief history should be pub- 
lished of its rise and progress, with a portrait of the 
individual. In the discussion of this subject, it became 
a disputed question whether Hugh Bourne or William 
Clowes was to be considered the actual founder of the 



LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 163 

body. It was, however, agreed by the meeting to wave 
a decision on the question, but to submit it to the 
opinion of the Tunstall friends, as among them the 
work had its origin ; they must be, therefore, the best 
able to settle the matter. Accordingly, when Brother 
H. Bourne asked Brother J. Steele, of Tunstall, his 
opinion, (who was indisputably as capable of giving an 
impartial judgment on this matter as any man,) he told 
Brother Bourne that, if any person must be identified 
as the founder of the Connexion, that person, in his 
opinion, was William Clowes ; this Brother H. Bourne 
told me afterwards. 

Whilst I was at Nottingham, my wife arrived. I was 
glad to see her so well both in body and mind, much 
better than when I parted with her at Tunstall, before 
starting on my mission to Hull, in Yorkshire. As it had 
been arranged that my wife should accompany me in 
my travels, she told me she had disposed of all our 
household furniture, and had bidden her Tunstall friends 
adieu. 

We left Nottingham on the Monday morning, and 
came to Gainsborough, where I preached on the Tues- 
day evening. We had a gracious visit from on high, 
and on the next day we got safely to Hull. 

I then took another excursion to York, Selby, and 
Snaith ; at Snaith there were five souls born of God 
and justified freely by the grace of Christ. 

On the Sunday following I preached three times in 
the neighbourhood of Knottingley ; three were blessed 
with the forgiveness of sins. 

On Monday, preached at Ferrybridge, and afterwards 
held a prayer-meeting in Mr. Bailey's school- room. 
There was a cry out for mercy ; four found the " pearl 
of great price." Whilst taking supper in Mr. Bailey's 



164 LIFE OF 

house afterwards, a large stone was violently thrown at 
the door, and a piece of parchment was blown into the 
house, upon which were written some foolish expres- 
sions. The devil felt his power was shaken ; the iron 
sceptre of his enchantment began to tremble in his 
grasp ; hence the reason of the opposition which arose. 

On the next evening, when I preached at Snaith, a 
drunken man raved and disturbed us very much, yet 
God saved one soul. 

The next night I preached in the open air at Tol- 
lington ; and on the Friday I returned to Hull, to be 
present at the opening services of our new chapel. The 
Lord had so prospered our labours, and raised us up 
friends in Hull, that it was considered an expedient 
measure to erect a new chapel ; accordingly, the founda- 
tion stone was laid at the end of Mill-street, and the 
building was forthwith completed. 

On the 10th of September, 1819, the new chapel 
was solemnly set apart for the worship of the Most 
High ; Brother Thomas King preached in the morning, 
Brother Dent in the afternoon, and Brother Braithwait 
in the evening. A powerful prayer-meeting followed, 
at which one soul found the Lord. 

In a short time after this, when I had preached at 
Hessle, on returning home, I was lost upon the com- 
mon. I had purposed to return to Hull after preaching; 
the night was very dark. A friend accompanied me a 
little way out of the village, and, as there was no direct 
road, he bade me good night, and told me to go for- 
wards, and keep such and such stars on my right 
shoulder. I tried to do so for a while, but I soon lost 
sight of the stars he pointed out to me ; I therefore 
found I was entirely lost. I had in my emergency re- 
course to my old plan, in falling upon my knees and 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 



165 



praying for direction. I rose and went on. Presently 
I found myself among bushes and briers. I now felt 
nearly bewildered, and prayed again ; proceeded, and 
lifting up my eyes, I saw a light at a short distance. 
When I drew towards it, I found it to be the lamp at 
the toll-bar ; I therefore went down on my knees on 
the road, and gave God thanks. When I arrived at 
home I was in a most exhausted state, and bathed in 
strong perspiration. When I retired to rest, and had 
just fallen asleep, I was awaked by my wife, who was 
taken very ill of a complaint then prevalent in the neigh- 
bourhood. A friend in the house urged the necessity 
of sending immediately for medical assistance ; but I 
proposed to pray first. Whilst I prayed I got hold of 
God by faith, and believed God would stay the afflic- 
tion, which he did in a short time. My wife, in reply 
to a question from me on the prospects she had of 
glory, said she was rather disappointed in recovering, 
for she felt fully ready to depart in peace, having seen 
the Lord's salvation. 

On September 13, 1819, we held our first quarter-day 
board in Hull, and we had a very peaceable and com- 
fortable meeting ; the numbers in society in the Hull 
circuit stood as follow : — 



Hull . . 
Hessle . . 
Swanland . 
Barrow 
Elloughton 
Brantingham 
South Cave 



167 


Newbald .... 


. 18 


21 


Riverbridge . . . 


. 19 


10 


Market Weighton . 


. 19 


10 


Weldrake . . . 


. 18 


25 


West Cottiugwith . 


3 


12 


Ferrybridge 


. 30 


21 


Welton .... 


4 



could 



There were some places the returns of which 
not procure, but the total of members was 402. 

At this quarterly meeting we took out two travelling 



166 LIFE OF 

preachers, Samuel Laister and John Dent. Brother 
Laister was greatly in the doctrine of a present salva- 
tion, and had a burning love for the souls of men. 
Brother Dent had promising talents, but was not so 
much in the life of the work as we could have wished ; 
it was thought, however, that he should accompany me 
the first round, in order to get more inoculated with the 
glory before I left Hull. However, a few of the circuit 
committee got together to alter the arrangement of 
Brother Dent going along with me : they decided that 
Brother Dent should go into my appointments alone, 
and I should go upon a mission ; when they had done 
this, they sent for me to ask my opinion on the subject. 
I told them I very much disapproved of what they had 
done ; first, because they had overturned what the 
quarterly meeting had done, which was unconstitu- 
tional ; and, secondly, because if Brother Dent went 
out to travel at all, in the opinion of the quarterly 
meeting it was considered necessary he should have the 
benefit of my counsel and instructions in going along 
with me, which, in the state in which they had illegally 
brought the case, he would be deprived of altogether ; 
and, in the last place, there were reasons of a private 
nature, which I did not feel disposed to name, which 
rendered it unwise to send Brother Dent into my 
appointments alone. But notwithstanding I made 
these statements, and laboured to guide them in the 
path of connexional and judicious measures, yet they 
decided next, that I should proceed in my own ap- 
pointments, Dent should go into Laister's appointments, 
and Brother Laister should go on a mission upon the 
Yorkshire Wolds. Matters, however, soon arrived at 
the issue I dreaded. Dent commenced a courtship with 
a young woman lately converted, whose father's house 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 167 

was opened as a home for the preachers ; and very 
shortly afterwards he formed a connexion with another 
woman, destitute of piety, to whom he was united in 
an unhappy marriage. The former young woman and her 
parents now became exasperated at such disreputable 
conduct in a minister, and shut up their house against 
the preachers, and abandoned the cause. The quarter- 
day board then was necessitated to take cognizance of 
this disgraceful case, and expel Dent from the society. 
He was then thrown down on a bed of affliction, and 
his mind sunk into despair : he cried out that he was 
lost — he was damned for ever ! However, some pious 
friends hastened to his bedside, and after praying with 
him they entertained some hopes of his salvation ; he 
however died, and not without strong suspicions of 
being hastened away by one intimately connected with 
him. Thus ended this unhappy affair, which might 
have been prevented, in all probability, had our official 
friends acted properly, and according to the discipline of 
the Connexion, in conjunction with my advice to them 
on the whole circumstances of the case. It however 
taught the brethren a lesson for the future, and led 
them to rely more on the judgment of those who were 
qualified, by experience and long connexion with the 
movements of the work, to give a sound and judicious 
opinion. 

The mission of Brother Laister on the Wolds, where 
he was assured by the parties in the committee he 
would find homes and success, turned out as I fully 
expected — a complete failure. None of the individuals 
to whom he was directed would give him any quarter 
or encouragement ; and it being in the winter season, 
little or nothing could be attempted in out-of-door 
preaching and raising a mission. 



168 LIFE OF 

A short time after this, October 3rd, I preached a 
funeral sermon for a young man at South Cave, who 
died happy in the Lord. His death was very sudden. 
We had a very impressive and powerful time. In the 
afternoon I preached at Newbald, and in the evening 
at North Cave, where the cries for pardoning mercy 
were strong and importunate. I held a prayer-meeting 
next morning, and good was done. Onwards I pro- 
ceeded, and spoke at Riverbridge, Market Weighton, 
Melbourne, Seaton, Bishop Wilton, and Bugthorp. At 
this latter place I called at a public-house, and asked 
liberty to pray with the family, which was granted ; and 
I left the inmates weeping. At Bishop Wilton I preached 
in a croft belonging to Dr. Meggison. I then made 
my way to Pocklington, and preached in the market- 
place to a vast multitude ; in the evening I spoke in a 
barn, the property of Mr. John Moore : here the pros- 
pect of success was very sanguine. In the neighbourhood 
of Pocklington I spoke frequently, and the stir among 
the people was considerable. I then directed my at- 
tention towards Beilby, Newton, Millington, and other 
places, God confirming his word by signs and wonders 
and mighty deeds. 

On October 23rd, 1819, I opened Knaresborough, 
by preaching abroad at nine o'clock in the morning : 
the rain and wind were great, but the people stood the 
ground well ; in the evening I spoke in a dwelling- 
house. On the Tuesday I stood forth again in a 
different part of the town, and afterwards formed a 
society of four members. 

Visiting York again, I preached, and then went on 
to Acklam on the Sunday. Just as I was about to 
commence preaching, a person came up and told me the 
Old Methodists were going to begin their service, so I 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 169 

desisted, and gave out to speak in the afternoon, and 
proceeded to the Methodist chapel with the people. 
When we returned, I stood up and preached, and it was 
refreshing to our souls. At two in the afternoon was 
the church hour, so I went to the church and heard a 
truly gospel sermon by Mr. Simpson. In the evening 
I preached in a house, and the clergyman, Mr. S., came 
to hear me, and gave me the right hand of fellowship. 
Oh ! when will Ephraim learn no longer to vex Judah, 
and Judah no longer to envy Ephraim ? 

At Leavning, the next night, I preached with pleas- 
ing liberty, and three souls were converted to God. 
On the following night I also spoke, and three more 
found the Lord. In the family visiting, the next 
morning, another was born of God. I then pushed on 
to Fridaythorp, and spoke in the name of the Lord ; 
the people urged me strongly to come again. On the 
next day I was in Hull ; and crossing the Humber I 
stood up at Barton, and Barrow, and returned to Hull, 
where I laboured a few days, and blessed consequences 
resulted. 

On the Ferrybridge side of the circuit, I again, in 
the name of the Lord, lifted up my banner at Brother- 
ton ; one woman was led to the fountain of living 
waters. At Ferrybridge the Lord came down upon 
one vile sinner, who had attempted to murder his wife 
a short time before. The next night the wife was ar- 
rested. The work continued to roll on with glorious 
rapidity ; but I wanted sinners saved by hundreds and 
thousands. God can cause a nation to be born in a 
day. O for mighty faith to take a firm grasp of the 
promises, — that faith which is like a cable fixed to an 
immovable rock ! 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

Journal — Leeds — Bains's school-room — People's remarks — Sampson's 
warehouse — Congregation panic-struck — Warehouse locked up — 
Sally Taylor's cellar — At Beeston — Mr. Verity — Discussion on 
dress — Alton fat lambs — Knaresborough — Love-feast in Hull — 
Quarterly meeting — Report — Missionary excursion — Ploughmen — 
Processioning — Walking sermons — Family visiting — Devil's stale 
tricks — Infuriated woman — Harrogate — Journey to Leeds — The 
vicar of Harewood — Remarks — Progress of the work in Leeds and 
vicinity — Mission to Ripon — Powerful services — Hull quarterly 
meeting — Progress of the cause — Striking conversions — Success in 
Ripon— Mr. Miller. 

On the 24th of November, 1819, by the direction of 
the providence of God, I opened a mission in the town 
of Leeds. My first sermon was delivered in a school- 
room belonging to Mr. Bains ; Mr. Bailey, of Ferry- 
bridge, accompanied me on this occasion. We had an 
excellent meeting. Many of the people went away 
rejoicing ; and some remarking, in their peculiar man- 
ner, that the matter of the sermon which they had heard 
was the " right old sort of stuff." On the day fol- 
lowing I formed a small society, and then pushed on 
to open Dewsbury the next day. I preached, for the 
first time, in the house of Mr. J. Boothroyd, a short 
distance from the town ; and on Saturday I returned 
to Leeds, and rented a room in Sampson's ware- 
house, for preaching. The room was already in the 
occupation of a dancing master, who taught the art 
of his profession on the week evenings ; so I arranged 
with him to teach poor sinners the science of a present 



LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 171 

salvation on the Lord's days. The next step I took 
was to despatch the crier through the streets of Leeds, 
to inform the town's-people that a "Ranter's preacher," 
from Hull, would preach in Sampson's warehouse on 
Sunday morning, at ten o'clock. When the time ar- 
rived, a large company attended, and Jesus likewise. 
I announced for service again at two o'clock, and the 
congregation was large, but Sampson, full of sub- 
tilty and opposition, came up to the top of the stairs, 
and cried out that the warehouse was giving way ; 
consternation and alarm instantaneously seized the 
people, and a general rush down the stairs took place ; 
the people fell upon each other, and the passage was 
utterly blocked up. Some attempted to jump out of 
the windows, and many fainted. I stood up and la- 
boured to dissipate the fears of the panic-struck con- 
gregation, by assuring them there was no danger ; but 
all in vain. Accordingly, I struck up a hymn: "Come, 
O come," &c. This brought back the people to their 
senses, and quietness and order were gradually restored; 
and to my astonishment I found afterwards that no 
person had been killed or seriously injured. Mr. Bailey 
then stood up and gave the people an exhortation to 
look to the Lord ; that, however the devil raged, good 
would be done, and the enemies of Christ should be 
put to shame and confusion. We announced for a 
preaching in the evening at six o'clock ; but when we 
came to the warehouse at the hour appointed, Sampson 
had been there before us, and had put a large hanging 
lock on the door. We, along with the people, appeared 
a little disconcerted at this manoeuvre of the devil and 
his agents. At last some one cried out, ■' You may 
preach in Sally Taylor's cellar." Accordingly, we 
moved thither along with the crowd ; and in a short 
i 2 



172 LIFE OF 

time we found ourselves down in a cellar, instead of 
being in a room three stories high. We did not much 
regret the exchange of situation, for God began to work 
in the cellar as he had done in the "upper room." By 
the turn which this affair took one man was converted ; 
for coming to the door of the warehouse to the preach- 
ing, after the time, he found it locked. He then began to 
think, what would be his condition if the door should be 
shut against him at the last day. This reflection pierced 
his soul, and led him to repentance towards God and 
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. A great and glorious 
work afterwards broke out in Leeds ; many were con- 
verted, and a powerful society was raised. 

I then proceeded to Beeston, accompanied by Brother 
Verity. We were invited to take tea with a family 
known to Brother V. Whilst with the people in the 
house, I felt moved in my spirit to reprove, in the spirit 
of love, certain individuals present, on account of their 
curls ; one being a professor of religion in a society, 
and another a class-leader. To keep them in coun- 
tenance, Brother V. related an anecdote of a certain 
preacher who used to say, " Shoot the bird, and the 
feathers will fly." This observation was received with 
delight and applause ; and the party present looked 
upon me as confounded. I begged leave to remark, 
that if that was the ground they took in the argument, 
then it would follow, that provided the feathers had 
not flown, the bird was not shot. On this they appeared 
confounded in their turn. I then proceeded to observe, 
what innumerable ways the devil had to deceive on the 
subject of dress, and the excess to which it is carried 
in the professing world. Excess is going beyond the 
bounds of moderation and propriety : if a person drinks 
to excess, he is at once criminal, and accumulates guilt 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 173 

npon his soul ; but a professor will array himself or 
herself in excess of apparel, and clearly pass the bound- 
aries of moderation and Christian consistency, and when 
remonstrated with on the subject, the reply frequently 
is, " Oh ! there is no harm in the thing ; religion does 
not consist in dress, but in the heart being right to- 
wards God." Now this is indisputably correct, that 
piety implies the heart being made right ; but how can 
a right state of the heart comport with excess of dress ? 
The apostle observes, '* I will therefore that men pray 
every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath or 
doubting. In like manner, also, that women adorn 
themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and 
sobriety ; not with broidered hair, or gold, or costly 
array ; but, which becometh women professing god- 
liness, with good works," 1 Tim. ii, 8 — 10. In a 
private conversation, the next morning, with Brother V. 
on this matter, which was in question the day before, 
in reply to remarks which I made, he acknowledged 
the wisdom and necessity of being faithful, and adopt- 
ing a straightforward course, in whatever company or 
society, as ministers of God, in the providence of the 
Most High, we might be called to mingle ; and of giving 
no quarter to the fashions and follies of individuals, 
especially in the cases of professing people, whose ex- 
amples were so influential on others ; and of reproving, 
rebuking, and exhorting with all long-suffering and 
doctrine, and never, in any circumstance or thing, of 
suffering sin upon our brother. 

From Beeston I went on to Dewsbury again, and 
spoke in the house of Mr. J. Boothroyd. I found the 
minds of the people so much exercised with the politics 
of the day, that the story of the cross had but little 
charm for them. 



174 LIFE OF 

The next night I was at Seacroft, and spoke in a 
school-room, and there were several who manifested 
contrition of spirit. An old Methodist found me out, 
and gave me a very pressing invitation to Alton. I 
went accordingly, and officiated in the Independent 
chapel. All ranks drew up to hear ; several sinners 
were alarmed ; and a great work of converting broke 
out. The Old Methodists were very active in gathering 
up the fruits ; so, in giving the invitation, they appro- 
priated the benefit, as they have done in numerous 
other instances, especially where we have held camp- 
meetings, and other powerful out-of-doors labours ; but 
have not succeeded in obtaining places to preach in : 
in such cases our old friends have not failed to gather 
the fruits after they have been plucked. It is true we 
have received assistance from our friends by a few 
class-leaders, local preachers, and others coming to us ; 
but as it has been often remarked by those qualified to 
speak from observation and experience, "for every 
old sheep received, we have given in lieu at least two 
fat lambs." 

Visiting once more the town of Knaresborough, I 
preached abroad, and twice in the house of a friend. I 
then received a few candidates for church fellowship, 
and made up the number to thirteen. I took next the 
villages of Houghbottom and Gawthorp ; but the people 
appeared wholly unconcerned and uninterested in my 
communications. The next day I arrived in Leeds, 
and formed another class, and the day following I was 
in Hull. 

On Sunday, December 12th, I held the quarterly 
love-feast in Hull, in our new chapel. There was a 
glorious attendance, and it was a triumphant meeting. 
The speaking was so rapid during the service, that 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 175 

I had not an opportunity to tell the people my own 
experience. 

On Monday, December 13th, we held our second 
quarterly meeting in Hull, and found the circuit to 
stand as follows : — Travelling preachers, 6 ; members, 
856 ; new chapels, 2. 

December 23rd, I left Hull, and proceeded to mission 
in the neighbourhood of Leeds, preaching at Dewsbury, 
Hunslet, Holbeck, Armley, and other places. At Hol- 
beck we had a precious meeting ; one soul was set at 
liberty, and the individual told me he was awakened 
under a sermon he heard me preach in Leeds. At 
Armley the prospect of soul-saving was favourable, but 
we were inconvenienced for want of a place to preach in. 
At Houghbottom I formed a society of seven members ; 
then I went again to Ferrybridge, Brotherton, and 
Knottingley, where the congregations were large, and 
where the work kept rolling on. Whilst in the house 
of Mr. Bailey, a crowd of persons called ploughmen 
came in, dressed in a fantastic manner, and asked for 
money. I told them to go down upon their knees, and 
pray for mercy ; and when I fell down and began to 
pray, the buffoons decamped with the greatest precipi- 
tation, and the house was cleared. 

In going to Bann to preach in the evening, I was de- 
ceived with respect to the distance, and had to run 
and walk very fast to get thither in time ; however, I 
succeeded. We had a full house, and satisfaction was 
given. 

At Pollington I officiated in a public-house ; one 
soul was brought to God, and some others were smitten 
with conviction. The next morning I " processioned" 
the village, and preached several sermons while walking. 
The people came out of their houses nearly en masse ; and 



176 LIFE OF 

in a course of family visiting afterwards, one woman told 
me she had had no rest all the night for the distress of 
her soul. I then asked her if she believed the Lord 
would hear my prayer on her account. She said she did 
believe. I then immediately cried to the Lord for help, 
and God appeared, a very present help in trouble. 

Visiting in regular succession the villages of Goddle, 
Arkindale, Martin-cum-Grafton, in my missionary route, 
the hand of Jehovah continued powerfully stretched 
forth. At Arkindale the devil resorted to one of his 
stale tricks to shut my way up : it was industriously 
circulated that I was a mere scamp ; that I had left a 
wife and six children chargeable to the parish. Some 
reported that I had been used to carry a pack of soft 
goods round the country. However, the devil did not 
succeed in this line of defamation : the mission opened 
in all directions, and sinners were awakened and con- 
verted to God. 

In travelling to Coneysthorp, I had a very toilsome 
journey, being up to the ancles in snow nearly all the 
way. In the preaching several participated in the bread 
of life, but I was suffered to depart, and to return to 
Knaresborough, without any invitation to accept the 
" bread that perisheth." An old Scotch woman at 
Knaresborough, Mary Brownridge, gave me a welcome 
to what her house afforded. 

In preaching again at Martin-cum-Grafton, in the 
Methodist chapel, we had a shaking among the dry 
bones. In the midst of a cry for mercy, the devil sent 
into the meeting an old woman in an infuriated state, 
who by force dragged out her daughter that was praying 
for mercy. Three souls, however, Were saved, and the 
praying people carried on the meeting all the night. In 
preaching at the same place again, it was supposed 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 177 

that about twenty souls found peace with God. I was 
hospitably entertained by Mr. Lenty and Mr. Mark 
Noble; the wife of the latter rose greatly into the faith. 

In visiting Arkindale again, a great breaking down 
took place ; one woman continued praying aloud at the 
service, and praising God that ever he sent the Camp- 
Methodists into that country. 

About the period I opened Hillingham and Harro- 
gate, whilst I was preaching in a house at the latter 
place, (which is celebrated as a fashionable watering 
place,) the uncircumcised fastened the door of the house, 
to prevent us from getting out ; however, we found 
means to get out at the back part of the building. 
At Killinghall I preached in a joiner's shop, and 
once in the Methodist chapel : one woman had her 
heart opened, like Lydia. I was entertained by Mr. 
Swales, and whilst at family prayers next morn- 
ing, two of his servant men cried out for pardoning 
mercy, and one of them found it. Being now at 
Knaresborough again, it was necessary, according to 
my arrangements, to be in Leeds ; I departed early in 
the morning on foot. A great quantity of snow had 
fallen during the night, and the distance was about 
twenty miles. When I had passed through Harewood, 
I heard something trampling behind me, and turning 
round, I saw a gentleman mounted upon a very fine 
horse. It struck me that he was Lord Harewood, 
whose hall was just by. I immediately stepped aside 
to give him the road, and the following conversation 
took place : — 

Gent. This is a very winterly morning. 
W. C. Yes, sir, it is indeed. 
Gent. It is very hard for the game. 
W. C. Yes, sir. 

i3 



178 LIFE OP 

Gent. Where have you come from this morning ? 

W. C, From Knaresborough, sir. 

Gent. And where are you going to ? 

W. C. To Leeds, sir. 

Gent. Pray what is the principal topic of the day 
in the manufacturing districts now ? 

W. C. Indeed, sir, I know but little about the mat- 
ters of this world. 

Gent. Oh, indeed ! well, and what are you then ? 

W. C. Sir, I am a man employed about the things 
of eternity ! 

Gent. Why, what employment is that ? 

W. C. Sir, it is the employment of warning sinners to 
flee from the wrath to come. 

Gent. Well, and what do you say to them ? 

W. C. Sir, I say what is involved in the commis- 
sion which our Lord delivered to his disciples : — " Go 
ye out and preach the gospel to every creature. 5 '- — " He 
that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved, and he 
that believeth not shall be damned." 

Gent. Well, 1 believe that ; it is the Scripture ; but 
what is to become of the heathen who never heard of 
these things ? 

W. C. They are to be saved, sir, through Jesus Christ. 

Gent. What, and never heard of him ? 
W. C. Yes, sir, there are many souls saved by 
Christ, that never heard of him ; for instance, all infant 
children and many heathens, who never heard of Jesus ; 
for, says the apostle — " These, having not the law, are a 
law unto themselves : which show the work of the law 
written in their hearts, their consciences also bearing wit- 
ness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else 
excusing one another." Therefore these heathens who 
are faithful to the light given them, will be saved in the 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 179 

day of the Lord, by virtue of the great Atonement, 
though they never heard the name of Christ in the 
preached gospel. 

Gent, Well, then, how are we to be saved in this 
country who have heard of Christ ? 

W. C. Sir, when we truly repent and believe in 
Jesus Christ, then we are justified and saved. 

Gent. Then how shall we be justified at the day of 
judgment ? 

W. C. By works, sir. 

Gent. What, then, have you never sinned since you 
were justified ? 

W. C. Sir, that is not immediately to the pur- 
pose ; if I were to tell you I never had, to you it would 
not amount to any proof ; and were I to say I had, it 
would not invalidate the proposition I have stated, that 
the grace of God is sufficient to save. It saved Enoch 
and a long line of prophets, ancient fathers, and confes- 
sors, down to the present period ; and the apostle says — 
" Being made free from sin, and become servants of God, 
ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting 
life." God's grace saves to the uttermost, and saves the 
soul from all sin in this life ; and living and dying in 
the enjoyment of the love of God, the heart emptied of 
all. sin and filled with the glory of God, this will inspire 
confidence in Jesus at the day of judgment. 

Gent. What ! do you believe a man can live without 
sin ? 

W. C. Certainly, I am bound to believe it, as it is 
clearly the doctrine of Scripture ; the recorded sentiments 
of the ancient fathers, and of the Church of England, as 
stated in her rituals : besides, did I not believe this 
blessed doctrine, I should sink the perfection and glory 
of the great Atonement, limit the power of the Holy 



180 LIFE OF 

One, and live far below those attainments of holiness 
and joy which God intends I should reach. The per- 
fection of faith is the climax of Christian experience ; 
that strong faith, which produces interior conformity to 
the nature of God, and enables its possessor to do the 
will of God on earth as angels do it in heaven, So 
their doing the will of God, or the works wrought by 
this faith, will justify at the last day ; for the Judge will 
then say to such believers, — " Well done, thou good 
and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy 
Lord." God then will have all the glory, as he has it 
now, in the salvation of his people. For " we are saved 
by grace, through faith, and that not of ourselves ; it is 
the gift of God." Then how important are the words of 
the apostle to you, and me, and all the world — " Work 
out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is 
God that worketh in you, to will, and to do, of his 
own good pleasure." 

Gent. Well, then, you believe all this, do you ? 

W. C, Yes, sir, I do, and I am a happy man. 

Gent. Then if I believed as you do, I should be a 
miserable man. 

The gentleman turned his horse and rode off, greatly 
dissatisfied with my strain of remarks, in reply to his 
interrogatories. I had not proceeded far on my way 
before I came up to a man brushing the snow from a 
heap of stones, which he was going to break, to repair 
the road. I saluted him, and asked him if he knew the 
gentleman riding along the road. " Oh, yes," said the 
man, " it is the Vicar of Harewood." Just as I was 
talking to the man, the Vicar turned round, and came 
back, apparently to hold another parley ; but when 
nearly within speaking distance, he suddenly turned to 
the right-about, and galloped off. 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 181 

When the vicar had receded from my view, I in- 
sensibly fell into the following reflections on the conver- 
sation which had taken place : the vicar observed, that 
if he believed as I do, he should be a miserable man. 
Why then, if he be right and I be wrong, I must be 
truly an insignificant and wretched object ; for in the 
difference of our outward circumstances I am certainly 
at a strange discount. He rides a fine horse ; is styled 
" the Reverend the Vicar of Harewood ;" preaches but 
seldom ; has many servants and attendants ; has an 
income of many hundreds a year. I have to walk on 
foot, many miles a day, through storms and snow ; 
I preach every night, with few exceptions, and use 
great bodily and mental exertion ; in many cases I 
know not, after preaching in strange places, where I 
shall find a night's lodging ; in many cases I suffer 
hunger, and I have no certain dwelling place. Yet, 
with all these privations and sufferings, and the toil 
and persecution I suffer as a missionary of the cross, I 
would not exchange situations with the Vicar of Hare- 
wood, for my religion makes my soul happy. The 
experience of the full salvation of Christ which I enjoy 
is a heaven on earth ; it is infinitely more than a com- 
pensation for all the sufferings I endure, and the diffi- 
culties I am called to combat. I know I am in the place 
which God assigned me : he has confirmed his word in 
almost every place where I have been. And what are 
the grandeur of state, and the advantages of power in 
this world ? Like the apostle, I can say, " Having 
nothing, yet possessing all things." 

On my arrival in Leeds, I found our friends there 
had taken a large room to preach in at Richmond Hill ; 
the society was prospering, which now consisted of 
seven classes ; and in preaching I heard the sound of my 



182 LIFE OF 

Master's feet behind me ; there was a sound at the tops 
of the mulberry trees, and the shout of a King in the 
camp of Israel. 

I now had my home with Mr. Smith, at the top of 
Kirkgate, whose family offered to shelter me at all 
times of my need. I cannot help reflecting on the 
change that I have experienced in these circumstances : 
when I first came to Leeds I lodged in public-houses, 
and went supperless to bed. One night, I remember, 
I sheltered myself in a privy, where I purposed remain- 
ing all night ; but Providence interfered, and I got 
part of a bed. 

On the 4th of March, 1820, accompanied by several 
friends, I went and opened Ripon. In proceeding I 
felt much fatigue, and was indisposed for conversation. 
In the town I was conducted to a friend's house, and 
immediately sat down, and waited on the Lord. Whilst 
I was thus employed, a local preacher entered the house, 
and looking at me a few minutes, he asked me to pray. 
I immediately fell upon my knees, and having hold of 
God, the power streamed down on us both, and on all 
in the house. The man then departed, and told his 
master of the circumstance, and he sent for me to go to 
his house. After I had arrived there, I was shown into 
the sitting-room, where there sat a stranger who had 
come from the country, and who had to preach that day, 
according to expectation. Mr. Inman then asked me 
to officiate in the chapel instead of this person, for he 
said the people had heard of me so much, that if I 
preached they would hear me under the idea of the 
expected stranger without prejudices. I told him I 
was always ready to do the will of God, and prepared 
to speak to sinners when and wherever a door opened ; 
but as it respected preaching in the chapel instead of 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 183 

the stranger, it would be necessary for them to view 
the matter in all its bearings. They however urged 
me to comply, and at last I did. The glory of God 
covered the place as if with a cloud, and many convic- 
tions took place. When the congregation was retiring, 
a brother said aloud, " If these be Ranters, then I am 
a Ranter." Thus the people knew at once who it was 
that had addressed them ; and many came round me 
and stared upon me as if I had been some strange being, 
a nondescript. 

In the evening I preached in a private house, and 
had a powerful time ; one person was awakened, who 
afterwards became a preacher of the gospel. 

On March the 13th I was again in Hull, it being the 
day for the quarterly meeting. At this meeting a trust 
deed for the chapel was ordered ; John Woolhouse, 
Thomas Johnson, and R. H., were taken out as travel- 
ling preachers ; my wife was appointed to lead Brother 
Woolhouse' s class : several other regulations were 
decided upon. The increase of members for the quar- 
ter was 260. Total, 1,116. After the business of the 
quarterly-meeting terminated, I took another tour, 
visiting the missions which I had opened, — Riverbridge, 
the Caves, Newbald, Ferrybridge, Knaresborough, Ark- 
indale, Harrogate, and Brotherton. 

At Marton I met the society, and divided it into 
three classes ; and at a love-feast afterwards three souls 
found peace with God. At Marton, Mark Noble, a Wes- 
leyan class-leader, wished to help us in our work, and to 
lead one of our classes ; but this course met with cen- 
sure and disapprobation from head quarters : he was 
ordered to desist leading our class, or give up his own. 
He was unwilling to do either, and suffered judgment 
to be passed upon him, which was, his expulsion 



184 LIFE OF 

from the Wesleyan society. He then became one of us. 
We soon employed him in the office of a local preacher, 
and he went on his way rejoicing. His house, which 
had been a comfortable home for the Wesleyan preach- 
ers, was abandoned by them, because we were admitted 
to share the hospitalities of the family ; the result was, 
we then became the only guests, and two of the 
daughters joined us, and became useful in the cause. 
A short period after this, I gave quarterly tickets to 
eighty members,* and the providence of God so favoured 
us, that we erected a new chapel. I assisted to open 
it with two other brethren ; and on the Monday evening 
service three souls were saved of the Lord. Proceeding 
to a village called Whixley, I spoke in a barn to many 
people, who were much affected; we retired to Mrs. Dick- 
inson's house to hold a prayer-meeting, and the power 
of God fell upon the people as at the beginning. Some 
cried out for mercy, and others, not knowing what was 
the matter, pressed forward to see what was going on. 
The mother of one person fell upon his neck to comfort 
her son, ignorant of the true cause of his distress. The 
wife of another rushed forward and smote her husband, 
and dragged him to the door ; but notwithstanding all 
this, God set three souls at liberty. The work, how- 
ever, which assumed a promising aspect in this place, 
was stopped by hell's agents for a season. Certain 
parties went to Mrs. Dickinson, and represented to her, 

* In this revival of religion our Brother T. Dawson was brought to 
God. Some of his relatives, being members of another denomination, 
were opposed to his remaining with us ; but he continued firm in his 
attachment to us. He afterwards became a travelling preacher; but 
being delicate he found himself unable to sustain his work, and on that 
account he located ; but he still remains a laborious and very useful 
member of society. 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 185 

that if she encouraged us any longer, the steward would 
turn her off her farm. Her fears being thus moved, 
she declined opening her house any more. The next 
time I went I was greatly tried at these things ; and 
standing up out of doors, I preached, but none durst 
open their houses for a prayer-meeting. In reasoning 
the matter with Mrs. Dickinson, I exhorted her to be 
fearless, saying God would not permit her to suffer if 
she stood by the cause ; she could not, however, trust 
in the Lord, and we withdrew from the place. 

I then visited the town of Aldborough, and addressed 
a hardened people. One tried to disturb the attention 
of the congregation : I fixed my eyes upon him, and 
spoke to him on the nature of his impiety, but he 
laughed me to scorn. The devil had not all his own 
way, after all, for I formed a society of seven members. 

When I visited Ripon again we had excellent services; 
six souls were brought into liberty. At Burton also, 
a place I had missioned a short time before, I found a 
society of twenty. I again preached at Ripon on the 
Lord's- day morning, afternoon, and evening, and had 
powerful times ; and after preaching again, I gave tickets 
to the society, now sixty in number, and pushed on to 
Leeds. 

On this visit to Leeds I had an interview with Mr. 
Miller, the Methodist preacher, once stationed in 
Burslem circuit, who made me a class-leader at 
Kidsgrove, and under whose ministry I had many 
glorious seasons. I had not seen him since we had 
become a separate denomination. When we had cor- 
dially saluted each other, Mrs. Miller, who was present, 
immediately began to say that I had made a division in 
Methodism ; but Mr. Miller checked her, and asked me 
if it was well with my soul. I told him that I felt a 



186 LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 

heaven within. He then asked me if any good had been 
done among us as a people. I told him that vast 
numbers had been converted. Mrs. Miller then said, " If 
you prosper, you will be the first, for none have pros- 
pered yet that have opposed the Methodists;" but, said 
she, " Is not Mrs. Dunnel at the head of you ?" I re- 
plied, " Mrs. Dunnel was never in our society ; the first 
time I ever saw her was in Tunstall chapel, with Mr. 
Miller, and he gave her his pulpit, and she preached." 
"Well," she said, "but don't they call you Ranters?" 
" Yes," I replied, "they do ; we are also called Primi- 
tive Methodists, as we wish to walk as closely as 
we can in the steps of Mr. Wesley." I observed also, 
that when I first knew Mr. Miller, he wore a plain 
coat, but now he wore one in the first style. Mr. Miller 
replied, that if he thought his coat offended any one, he 
would put it away : he likewise said to Mrs. Miller, 
that it was always best to preserve a spirit of Christian 
love towards all ; and remarked that if we prospered as 
a body, we must keep humble, and live in the full en- 
joyment of the love of Christ. We then parted, and I 
could not but admire the simplicity and Christian spirit 
of my old friend in this short interview. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



First conference in Hull — Camp meetings— Missions around Leeds — 
Quaker — Hull divided into branches — New ground broken — a re- 
markable Chapel case — Cherry Burton — Driffield mission — John 
Oxtoby and Mr. Byas— -Missions onwards — Preston — An old woman 
and the living waters — Report — Keyingham successful missioning — 
Spurn Point — Flamborough — Bridlington— December quarterly 
meeting. 



On the 2nd of May, 1820, we held our first confer- 
ence, in the town of Hull. The conference was consti- 
tuted of eighteen delegates as representatives of the whole 
connexion — six travelling preachers, and twelve laymen. 
The state and prospects of the body were considered as 
very encouraging, the number in society was 7,842. We 
had preaching morning and evening during the sittings, 
and camp meetings, on the Lord's day, in Hull, at Key- 
ingham, and at Barrow, in Lincolnshire. It fell to my 
lot to attend the Barrow meeting ; we had two preaching 
stands, and carried on the praying labours with five 
praying companies, and visible good was done among 
the thousands that attended. 

When the conference ended, it was arranged for one 
to go to lead a camp meeting at Tingley common, mid- 
way between Leeds and Dewsbury. We had but one 
preaching stand, but we had six praying companies, 
that laboured effectively ; and mercy was entreated for 
by several penitent sinners. In the evening, at Daw- 
green, we held a prayer-meeting, where we saw fruit. 



188 LIFE OF 

At Earlsheaton and Dawgreen, where I laboured, 
God flashed his light through the souls of the hearers, 
like the striking of the electric fluid from the charged 
clouds. The next morning, on visiting from house to 
house, two souls were converted. To God be all the 
glory. 

At Gawthorp, the hand of the Mighty was stretched 
forth ; and at Westerton Hall, the clergyman was 
one among my numerous hearers, and I trust God 
wrought upon many hearts. In coming by way of 
Leeds, I went to Alton, accompanied with Mr. Smith, 
designing to preach, but a person of the name of 
Horsfall, who wished to travel, went with us ; I there- 
fore requested him to address the people, as I wished 
to hear him, in order to judge of his aptness to teach, 
and the unction which accompanied his ministrations ; 
but on hearing him, my opinion was, that it was ne- 
cessary he should stay in a local character some time 
longer. I returned, and slept at the house of Mr. 
Smith, whose family treated me with every possible 
kindness, and whose house was open for me at all 
times. 

On the Sunday following these circumstances, I 
preached in Leeds, morning and evening, and at Holbeck 
in the afternoon, with glorious liberty ; afterwards at 
Farnley, Hunslet, Rothwell, Dewsbury : at the latter 
place I gave an exhortation before giving out a text to 
preach from ; the Spirit of God was in both the exhort- 
ation and the sermon. A Quaker, one of my hearers, 
told me I did the best before I took my text. 

I next departed, and came to Hull to attend the 
quarterly meeting. It was now found that the circuit 
was inconveniently large, and a committee, consisting 
of W. Clowes, J. Verity, S. Laister, and Woolhouse, 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 189 

was appointed to divide the circuit into seven branches, 
and to station the preachers in each branch. This was 
found to be a measure encumbered with several difficul- 
ties, but ultimately it was accomplished. Four preachers 
were stationed for Hull, the Home Branch : — Brother- 
ton, 2 ; Pocklington, 3 ; Ripon, 3 ; York, 2 ; Leeds, 
2 ; Malton, 2. 

At Hull, this quarterly meeting, I had several 
gracious visits from on high. Crossing the Humber, I 
preached at Goxhill, Barrow, and Ulceby, and the word 
was effectual. At Ulceby some were in distress, but 
did not find the Lord. I told the people, those that 
wanted the Lord must meet me at Brother Clarke's. 
Several came, and two were set at liberty ; and others 
in the village were cut to the heart with conviction. In 
reaching Holton, a long village, I preached at each end 
of it ; and then met the society and exhorted its mem- 
bers to press after purity of heart ; afterwards at Gox- 
hill, then at Barrow, where the word was quick and 
powerful. At Winteringham the people were immov- 
able and hard ; after preaching, I slept in a cold room, 
exposed to the weather, and caught a severe cold. The 
next day, however, I pushed on to Ferriby, and had a 
good season, where we had a good society. It may 
be necessary for me to detail a circumstance in this place, 
with reference to Ferriby, which may probably put 
some of our people on their guard. 

When I opened this place by preaching out of doors, 
good was done ; but we had no place to preach in. A 
man, however, the clerk of the parish, and a class-leader 
among the Methodists, came and offered us a piece of land 
to build a chapel on, observing that it had been shown 
to him, if he did not God would kill him. I had gone on 
my mission, but our people accepted his offer and collected 



190 LIFE OF 

subscriptions through the neighbourhood for a Primitive 
Methodist chapel. The people gave very handsomely 
in money, materials, and leading, and the chapel was 
completed. I was sent for to open it. When I got to 
the village, and was seated in the clerk's house, I asked 
him if the deed was made, and the chapel properly con- 
veyed away to trustees, for the use of the Primitive 
Methodists who had built it ; but the wife of the clerk 
immediately said, — " No, that chapel shall never be 
conveyed out of our family." I then asked the clerk 
how this was. He replied, his wife had turned. I then 
began to remonstrate with the old woman, asking her, 
what her neighbours would say of her conduct, those 
who had given their money to build the chapel. She 
replied she did not care. I then said that in opening it, 
I could not in conscience make any collection, because 
it would be dishonest, to beg of the people in behalf 
of what she was determined should be private property. 
I then proceeded to the chapel, preached, but made no 
collection. The people wondered at this, and the 
cause soon was spread among them, and they, in their 
conversations on the subject, said I had acted very 
properly. Shortly afterwards a deputation was sent from 
Hull, to induce the clerk to consent to sign a trust 
deed ; but nothing could move him : he violated his 
promises, and dishonourably held the chapel as his pri- 
vate property. A short time after this, I had to go and 
preach at Ferriby again, and renew the tickets of the 
society. Whilst doing these, the wife of the clerk 
came and threw open the doors of the chapel, and cried 
out — " Come out, come out of my chapel, you shall 
have no more place here." We accordingly turned out, 
and were kept out ; for in a little time they made the 
chapel into two dwelling -houses. This instance of 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 191 

wickedness and sacrilege was execrated by both God 
and man. The old clerk had told the people, if he did 
not give the Primitive Methodists a piece of land to 
build a chapel on, when they first began their labours 
at Ferriby, he believed God would kill him ; and the 
Lord did this ; for he was taken away, and rooted out 
of his dwelling-place a short time afterwards. 

About this period I preached at Beverley, in the 
market-place, to a huge multitude, not without appre- 
hensions of being arrested ; nothing, however, of the 
kind occurred. At the conclusion of the service I 
joined six members to the society. On preaching again 
abroad, thoughts of imprisonment were not so general 
as they had been. Yet I should not have been surprised 
if I had been taken, for when Lorenzo Dow, the Ame- 
rican preacher, preached in England, he was taken to pri- 
son ; and at the same time, Dorothy Ripley was also 
committed. The work went on at Beverley ; we soon 
had a good society raised up, and an excellent chapel 
erected in Thursday market. At Cherry Burton I also 
preached. The people were very callous ; no one 
would take us in, or give us quarters. I told them, after 
preaching, that I was about to leave them, and shake 
the dust off my feet as a testimony against them, — that 
we should forthwith give them up. This, however, 
had a rousing effect upon several, and they came forward, 
offering to take in the preachers, and assist the cause : 
these offers induced us to recant our decision, and we 
continued to preach as usual. 

I now made my way to the town of Driffield, and 
preached Christ in the theatre ; and there was a cry for 
mercy, and one soul found peace with God. At Drif- 
field I preached again, and the work rolled on. At 
this place the labours of John Oxtoby were blessed, in 



192 LITE OF 

the conversion of Mr. Byas, who furnished us with 
money, on interest, to complete a new chapel which 
we had hegun. He afterwards died happy in the Lord, 
and left the money entirely to the chapel, which placed 
the trustees and society in easy circumstances. The 
work then advanced steadily and prosperously. 

From Driffield I proceeded to visit other places in 
the neighbourhood, Middleton, Bainton, Lund, and then 
went forward to Hull, where I spoke on a Sunday 
evening. There was much persecution ; one of our 
friends was cut near the eye with a large stone, but the 
work rolled on, and we now mustered twenty classes. I 
then departed to take a tour in Holderness, and preached 
at Keyingham, Patrington, Burstwick, Rihill, Sniffling, 
Easington, Kilnsea, Witherinwirk, Ross, Burton, Pidsea, 
Rimswell, Skirlough, Aldborough, Hedon, and Preston. 
At the last place I preached in the open air, from 
the words — " If any man thirst, let him come unto 
me and drink ; he that belie veth in me, as the Scripture 
hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living 
water." It having been a dry summer, and there being 
a great want of rain, an old woman who was standing 
by when I delivered my text, when she heard " rivers 
of living water" mentioned, ran down the town, and 
told the people that the waters had broken out against 
old Pallister's house, and everybody might have some. 
On this the people nocked up to see the wonder, but they 
found that the waters that had broken out were " living 
waters," and at that time they were flowing very freely. 
Several were under conviction, and one man, lying on 
a heap of stones just by, was crying to God with all his 
might. We soon had a blessed work in the place, and 
sixty souls joined in church fellowship. 

At our September quarter day in Hull, we found our 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 193 

number of members in the circuit to be 2,474, and 
peace and union reigned amongst us. Praise the Lord ! 
At Keyingham, in the open air, I delivered the 
word to a quiet multitude ; the work increased, and a 
small chapel was erected. At Burstwick, where I la- 
boured much and had fruit, a new chapel was raised, 
which I had the pleasure to dedicate to the worship of the 
Most High. At Ross, also, many were converted. I told 
the people that those who felt the burden of sin, were 
to remain after the congregation was dismissed. Several 
remained, and we had a cry for mercy, and five souls 
found the Lord. At Skirleugh we held a camp meeting ; 
many attended, but little fruit appeared. At Rimswell 
we formed a small society, and at Easington the work 
broke out and a chapel was built, which I opened. At 
Kilnsea, I preached in the house of Mr. W. Hodge, 
who had a large family of children, of whom many 
were converted ; and some became preachers of the 
word. Here I was kindly entertained. The next morn- 
ing I went down to the Spurn point, where certain light- 
houses are erected. I entered one, and found an old 
woman ; after talking to her about her soul, I prayed 
with her and departed. As I proceeded on the shore, 
washed by the German Ocean, I saw that the ocean had 
gained upon the land ; the sea was breaking against 
a churchyard, and the bones and coffins of the dead 
were visible. What an awful sight ! what hath sin done ! 
At night I arrived at Patrington ; and preached in a 
barn taken for the purpose. At Preston, where I again 
spoke, the Lord blessed the means, and then I went on 
to Bridlington quay, and to Flamborough. At Boiling- 
ton I spoke in a large room, quite full. At Bridlington 
the place was crowded to excess ; three souls were 
saved, and very soon we had thirty members. At 

K 



194 LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 

Flamborough I preached again, and two souls were saved. 
I went up to the top of the lighthouse, which commands 
a noble view of the ocean, and the surrounding country, 
I held a prayer meeting with the family of the light- 
house keeper, and departed. 

The next time I preached at Flamborough, three souls 
found peace, and five more joined society in the neigh- 
bourhood. I preached at several places, Thornham, Sewer- 
by, Gransmore, Thwing, Flixton, Hunmanby, Haisthorp, 
and Fordendale. At Thwing, two souls were saved ; 
at Speeton, the congregation was large, and the word 
took effect. At Flixton there was a good opening ; the 
people at the public-house took us in. At Hunmanby 
I spoke in the large room of an inn, but was charged 
five shillings for the use of it, and had to walk four miles 
to get lodgings. At Sewerby I spoke to a callous 
people, but next day I visited from house to house ; and 
at Haisthorp, in a barn, I had a large crowd of attentive 
hearers : it was a never-to-be-forgotten time. At 
Fordendale we held a camp-meeting ; Mr. Lockwood 
assisted us : it was a powerful one. Before I left this 
place I assisted Brother Coulson to draw a plan to form 
these places into a branch of Hull circuit, in order to 
their better management, and likewise still further to 
extend the work. In attending the December quarter- 
day board at Hull, we found the cause generally pros- 
pering : our number in society, stood at 3,116. 



CHAPTER XX. 

Journal — Mission to Scarborough — a dream — success — Mission to 
"Whitby — preaches in the market place — Chief constable — New 
chapel — Cloughton — Merryandrew — William Harland — Miller con- 
verted — Camp meeting on Seamer Moor — Sir George Cayley — 
Tunstall conference — Matters of conference— The Manchester de- 
legates — Tunstall second chapel — mighty movement — Visits old 
friends. 

From the Hull quarterly meeting of December, 1820, 
I proceeded on a mission to Scarborough, and the towns 
and villages in that vicinity. To Scarborough Brother 
J. Coulson accompanied me : when we got into the 
town the news of our arrival quickly circulated among 
great numbers of the people. One person had dreamed 
the night before, that he saw two " Ranters' preachers," 
going up the streets of. Scarborough, with an intention 
to preach the gospel. This individual published his 
dream to his friends and others, and they assembled 
together, and it was decided I should preach in the even- 
ing, while Brother Coulson preached at another place. 
We accordingly repaired to a school-room, which was 
filled to overflowing ; and I lifted up my voice for the 
first time in Scarborough, in the name of the Jehovah 
of Hosts. The next morning I spoke twice in the 
school-room, and once abroad : the gathering of the 
people was large, and their conduct highly decorous. 
Several felt the convictions of the Holy Spirit in their 
hearts, and either two or three persons were brought 
into the glorious liberty of the children of God.s At 
the conclusion of another preaching service, I formed a 
k2 



196 LIFE OF 

society of seven members. The next time I preached 
was on the sands, close to the sea, to a prodigious mass 
of hearers ; many were powerfully moved to seek the 
Lord, and I joined ten more members to the society. 
The work now rolled on most gloriously, we very soon 
had a hundred members in church fellowship, and a new 
chapel erected. From Scarborough I pushed on to 
Whitby, and preached there for the first time in a school- 
house, the weather being unfavourable for preaching 
abroad. However, at three o'clock in the afternoon, I 
went to the market place, and stood up and preached to 
a large company; and notwithstanding it was very cold, 
the people remained immovable to the end of the ser- 
vice. Some of the baser sort endeavoured to create dis- 
turbance ; however, I was honoured with the presence 
of the chief constable, who kept the sons of Belial at 
bay, and who was on my side this time ; but it has been 
too frequently the case in my course, to see the magis- 
terial authority enlisted on the side of the lawless mob, 
encouraged by those whose fears have led them to sup- 
pose that their craft was in danger. This constable 
having heard me preach in the open air, in the neigh- 
bourhood of York, whilst bringing prisoners to the 
castle, his heart was touched ; and he then told me if I 
ever went to Whitby, his house should be open for me ; 
and now I found him as good as his word. He did not 
merely protect me, as every officer of police ought to 
protect the ministers of religion in the exercise of 
their function, but made me welcome to his house and 
table. 

I preached again in the New Market at nine o'clock, 
and although the rain fell, yet the people heard atten- 
tively ; in the afternoon the rain beat us off, so I preached 
in a large room, and in the after meeting one soul cried 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 197 

for deliverance. I now formed a society, and the work 
broke forth like the torrent of a mountain : in a short 
time we had upwards of one hundred in society, and a 
new chapel erected. At Cloughton I preached in a 
school-room, according to an arrangement made by a 
person who heard me in Scarborough and Mr. Ward, 
a school-master at the place. We had a large com- 
pany ; many came through curiosity to hear the " strange 
man." We had a powerful meeting ; some fell to the 
ground, and the stir was great. The opinions of many 
respecting me were very extraordinary. Some declared 
I was drunk ; some said I was a fool, and others that 
I was a merryandrew. Some, however, did acknow- 
ledge that I was not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ ; 
for they felt it to be the power of God unto salvation. 

At Cloughton, Mr. Ward, the school-master, was a 
class-leader among the Methodists, having about eight 
persons in his class. He was, however, wise in his 
generation, and became very active and diligent in 
gathering up the fruit after it had been plucked ; for 
very shortly he had thirty members in his class, and 
he was very pressing for me to preach at Cloughton, 
whilst I did not form a society to preserve the fruits of 
my own labour. At Robin Hood's Bay I preached, and 
found the same person had spread the reports of me there 
as at Cloughton. I stood up in a house where three 
rooms opened into each other, and every corner was 
filled. I afterwards spoke again in the same place, and 
as many appeared desirous to flee from the wrath to 
come, I formed a society of twelve members ; at this 
preaching, Brother Branfoot assisted me : it was in the 
open air. Brother Harland, who has since become a 
successful preacher among us, was present at this meet- 
ing, and he formed the resolution that he would never 



198 LIFE OF 

rest till he found the pearl of great price, which was not 
many days after. He then opened his school at Stain- 
tondale for preaching, and I preached in it a short time 
afterwards with blessed effect. Brother Harland set 
me on my way to Cloughton, and in conversation with 
him, I found him to be a young man of considerable 
information and kindness of disposition, and capable of 
doing much good in his day and generation. 

At Robin Hood's Bay I preached several times after 
this, and found the work to progress, as likewise at 
Lyth and Friup, in the dales. At Moorsholm we held 
a camp-meeting, and had a vast concourse of people, 
and several were brought into the liberty of God's dear 
children. I now took Hainsthorp in my way, and then 
preached at Sandsend, near Whitby. I preached at 
Mr. Peacock's, and afterwards in a barn ; there were 
several moved upon ; I therefore invited them into the 
house of Mr. Peacock to talk with them : on believing 
for an immediate salvation, the Lord was present with 
us, and I joined five of them to the society, making 
seventeen in all. The next morning a miller called, 
and I prayed with him ; and God immediately saved 
him, and he went on his way. I was next at Seamer, 
and after I had preached in a barn, several souls were 
set at liberty. Here a blessed work rolled on, and forty 
constituted the society. 

I then went on to Ayton, and occupied a barn : it 
was so full that I could hardly get in, but many of the 
uncircumcised were present, and manifested every 
symptom of mischief. I waited on the Lord a short 
time, desiring him to calm the roaring of the foe, and 
he did so ; in preaching again, I had my full freedom ; 
we soon had twenty in society ; and the Lord opened 
our way, and we got a new chapel. It was about this 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 199 

time that we held a camp-meeting on Seamer Moor ; 
Brother Sampson Turner and others assisted ; the day 
was unfavourable, but still good was done, according 
to general testimony. At Snainton I preached in the 
open air to an orderly people, upon whom the word 
fell like the rain upon the mown grass ; here we were 
much inconvenienced for want of a suitable place to 
preach in : the consequence was, as it has been in hun- 
dreds of other places, the good done in a large measure 
fell into other societies ; we however raised a class of 
twenty-six, and finally got a chapel built. — Praise 
Jehovah ! 

On preaching abroad at Sherborne, I held a praying 
service afterwards, and immediately pushed on to open 
Brampton, and addressed the people in a brick yard. 
Many of the friends expressed their fears that Sir 
George Cayley would come and interfere by driving us 
off, or taking us into custody, but Sir George did not 
give himself the trouble to look after us. 

Our quarterly meeting for March, 1821, now took 
place, our members in society stood at 4,845, and the 
Lord was with us whilst transacting the business of 
th£ circuit. After going over some old ground, and 
breaking up some new, I set off to Tunstall, to attend 
the Conference of 1821. Several important matters 
were decided upon at this Conference. It was con- 
cluded to establish a printing press for the connexion, 
and to print our own Hymn Books, Magazines, and 
other publications ; likewise to institute a Book-room. 
It was also agreed to form a contingent fund, each 
travelling preacher to subscribe to it yearly at least two 
shillings and sixpence, and the members a penny each. 
At this meeting Mr. Steele strongly impressed upon the 
board the necessity of the travelling preachers estab- 



200 LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 

lishing a fund, to be supported by themselves, and be 
under their own control and management. 

At this Conference, when the stations of the preachers 
came to be considered, it was strongly argued by the 
Manchester Delegates, that I should be forthwith sta- 
tioned for them, as their object was, that I should go 
out for them, to open new missions. Our Hull friends 
urged several reasons upon the attention of the board, 
showing that it was necessary I should continue in 
the Hull circuit ; and it was finally decided by the 
Conference that I should be again put down for Hull ; 
which decision I believe was fully in the will of Pro- 
vidence. 

On the Sunday during the session of Conference, 
Brother King and I were appointed to preach sermons 
on behalf of the second new chapel which our Tunstall 
friends designed to erect ; I spoke at two o'clock, and 
in the middle of my discourse the work broke out, the 
cries of penitent sinners and the rejoicings of believers 
were so great that I desisted discoursing, and we all 
turned to, and carried on a mighty service of praying, 
until six o'clock ; it was supposed that twenty souls 
found pardoning mercy in the blood of the Lamb. At 
night Brother King preached, and the converting work 
still went forward. After the Conference I laboured 
in Tunstall and the neighbourhood, among my old 
friends, with success and great delight ; and then came 
to Manchester and preached, and arrived in Hull in 
time for the June quarter-day. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

Journal — Hutton Rudby mission — Thirsk market-place — Ponderings 
near Hutton Rudby — Potto — Mr. Hebbron — Camp-meeting at Scartli 
Nick — Brompton — A servant man — Mission progress — Chopgate — 
New chapel Hutton Rudby — Journey in Bilsdale — Review of the 
Mission — Report. 

When the June quarterly meeting was ended, I 
departed from Hull in order to commence the Hutton 
Rudby mission. On my arrival at Thirsk I stopped, 
and stood up in the spacious market-place in the name 
of Jesus. I have often found large market-places to be 
very convenient for my purposes, in the course of my 
singular career. I had a large company on this occa- 
sion, and was kindly taken in to lodge with Mr. Great- 
head. I had afterwards gracious seasons at Thirsk ; we 
formed a society, and got a place to preach in. De- 
signing to go to Ripon, on reaching Carlton, I was 
utterly broken down with exhaustion ; and failing in 
attempting to procure private lodgings, I went to a 
public-house ; I soon began to talk about spiritual things 
to the family, and had prayer with them. In the 
morning I said that I should like to preach on the 
village green ; but a farmer coming in, he was told 
what I had been saying ; he immediately offered me one 
of his houses to speak in, which I accepted, and we had 
a large congregation ; the farmer requested me to an- 
nounce that I should preach again in his barn, and we 
had another excellent company. I slept at the farmer's 
house, who made me abundantly welcome to what his 
k3 



202 LIFE OF 

house afforded. On visiting Thirsk again I found the 
cause was making its way, gradually gaining ground. I 
now directly made my way to Hutton Rudby ; before I 
entered the village, I sat down on a bank pondering 
on my purpose, and wondering where I should find 
shelter, or friends, as night was approaching. Lifting up 
my eyes I saw a house ; and a thought from God im- 
mediately darted into my mind, — God can open my 
way into that house. Immediately I rose up, and walked 
into the village, and after a prayer meeting which I 
attended of the Wesleyans, a Mrs. Norman invited me 
to take supper and a bed. My heart now overflowed 
with gratitude to God and to man, that a stranger in 
a strange place, should be treated with such unex- 
pected kindness. The next day, in the open air, I 
addressed a large company ; some were satisfied, but 
others were disappointed, for they had expected that 
I should jump and dance about, and perform other 
ludicrous movements, as they had heard, by report, 
that such was my way in my religious services. One 
person who had cherished great prejudice against me, 
from what he had heard, came down whilst I was 
preaching ; but whilst I was speaking, God spoke to his 
heart, and his opposition vanished, and he became a 
disciple ; and Mr. Suggitt, the master of the house 
which I thought that God could open my way into, as I 
sat on the bank, was present; and he came forward, 
and requested me to make his house my home. 

On the Friday evening I spoke in a little village 
which is called Potto, and also at Hilton in a public- 
house, where God very strongly affected the congre- 
gation. I then went on to Stokesley, near Roseberry 
Topping, and preached to a large multitude in the 
market place; a drunken man attempted to disturb, but 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 203 

God put a hook in his jaw. The crier who announced 
that I should preach was well affected, and refused to 
accept of the customary fee for his labour. 

On the Sunday I preached on the green at Hutton 
Rudby, at ten in the morning, and seven in the evening ; 
the work moved on, convictions deepened among the 
people. At Potto we had a weeping time, the people 
appeared dissolved in penitential feeling. I then mis- 
sioned Swainby ; and at Faceby also, in a barn, there was 
a move. I slept at a farm house, and at prayer the mis- 
tress of the house cried for salvation. On preaching again 
at Swainby I formed a society of six. At Hutton, 
after preaching again, I united twelve in church fel- 
lowship ; and at Potto again, three souls found the 
Saviour, one of whom was Mr. Hebbron, who has since 
become a travelling preacher, in whose father's barn the 
preaching was held. 

Qn the Sunday following we held a camp-meeting 
on a mountain called Scarth Nick ; we had a most 
favourable day, and it was supposed that about 2,000 
people were present; we had three sermons, and a brief 
exhortation, and the praying movements were strong 
and effective. In the afternoon a shout began in the 
camp ; four souls were made happy, one man, a farmer, 
was so excited with the life of God, which had entered 
his soul, that he shouted to the hills, and dales, and 
every thing that had breath, to help him to praise God ; 
he declared God had pardoned all his sins, and had 
made him happy beyond expression ; he afterwards 
hastened home and told his wife and servant what the 
Lord had done for him, and they also cried to God, 
who saved them also. We concluded this camp- 
meeting about five in the evening ; the effects of it were 
very great. It was bread cast upon the waters, found 



204 LIFE OF 

after many days. Praise the Lord God of Israel, who 
that day enabled us to lift up our banners. 

At Hutton I spoke again, and two were brought 
through ; and on Tuesday, I went on and opened In- 
gleby, where I was taken in by Mrs. Taylor ; then I 
hastened on to mission Brompton, and Northallerton ; 
at the latter place, in the open air, I had about 1,000 
hearers, and all were as tranquil as if we had been in a 
chapel. At Hutton, the next time, we had three more 
souls, and at Potto we had two others pardoned. The 
fiext day I missioned Broughton, and stopped at Mr, 
Hutchinson's. Next morning a Mr. Taylor came in and 
invited me to dine with him ; I accepted his invitation, 
and as we were proceeding to his house, he informed 
me, that he had a servant man who was very wicked, that 
if I said any thing to him he would only abuse me : 
he begged me, therefore, not to speak to him, for he 
believed the Lord had given him up. I replied that 
I would leave it with the Lord. Before dinner the 
servant man came in for something he wanted, I imme- 
diately went to him, and offered him my hand, but be 
refused it ; I persevered, and took hold of his right hand, 
and then lifted my soul to heaven, and the Lord 
touched him ; after dinner I knelt down beside him 
near a door of the house, and whilst I took hold of 
God, I perceived he was affected ; I pressed on in the 
exercise of faith, and then he broke out in strong cries 
for mercy, and before we rose God Almighty saved his 
soul. The master and mistress of the house were 
perfectly astonished at this proceeding, and looked 
upon me as some unearthly being ; however, it being 
time for me to depart, I bade them farewell, and has- 
tened on my way for Swainby, where I preached in a 
blacksmith's shop, and received seven fresh candidates 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 205 

for church communion. At Brompton, the next day, 
after an out-of-door's service, seven more joined, and 
at Hutton the numbers now amounted to twenty-nine. 
The next Sunday, assisted by Brother A. and others, 
I held a camp-meeting on High Sutton Moor, and two 
at least were saved. Mr. J. "Wood, the farmer who was 
saved at the Scarth Nick camp-meeting, was present, 
and invited us to go to Weathercote, where he resided, 
to preach. Accordingly Brother A. and I went, and 
we both preached in a wagon in the open air to a 
large concourse ; we were obliged to be very short, how- 
ever, as we had to attend another meeting five miles 
distant, at a place which is named Anterley, in Bilsdale. 
The house in which we preached, consisting of three 
rooms on the ground floor, was much crowded ; we both 
preached at the same time, at each extremity, and we 
had excellent order, and good was done. 

At the general prayer meeting which followed these 
preachings we had a general breaking down, and it 
was afterwards understood that about twenty souls 
were brought into the fold of Jesus ; we did not con- 
clude till midnight. We announced for preaching next 
day at three o'clock at Chopgate about a mile off, and, 
before the time, the scene was very imposing to witness 
the crowds of (people coming over the hills all around, 
although it was on a week day, to worship God ; our 
meeting, however, was interrupted in consequence of the 
rain ; but as there were among us three preachers, we 
divided into three bodies ; one division took possession 
of a blacksmith's shop, and the two others took up posi- 
tions at dwelling-houses, and we routed the enemy of 
souls at all these points of attack, and turned the battle 
to the gate. I held another service at Mr. Wilson's, at 
seven in the evening, and formed a society of eighteen. 



206 LIFE OF 

The next morning at family prayer all cried to God for 
help ; father and mother, children and servant : this 
was a grand sight. 

I now went back to Hutton Rudby and laboured on 
the Sabbath ; the next day we met to arrange for the 
building of a new chapel to be held in trust for the 
Primitive Methodists. One person promised land, and 
Mr. Suggitt promised £20. 

We therefore appointed a treasurer, a secretary, and 
collectors, and the next night I preached a sermon on 
the occasion. I then commenced a journey into Bils- 
dale, but fearing I could not find my way, I called 
upon a friend to accompany me. Before we reached the 
place I had to preach at, we were benighted, and we 
had to cross a steep mountain ; I had considerable 
difficulty to get up, and was almost exhausted, having 
to pull myself up by the ling growing on the sides ; 
at last, very weary, we arrived at the place of destina- 
tion, Mr. Wilson's house. But we found the house so 
crowded, that I could not get in ; I then called upon the 
people to turn out, and they poured out like floods 
rushing. It being dark, some kept crying, Where is he ? 
Where is he ? I however entered a wagon in the stack 
yard, but they so blocked me up, and such was my embar- 
rassment, that I once more removed to one side of the 
house, and got a lantern and candle, and stood upon a 
chair, and preached. When I had done I invited those 
determined for heaven to follow me into the house ; in 
a short time the house was so full, that we could not 
kneel. I was now nearly exhausted ; however I looked 
to God for strength, and he gave it, and I got some one 
to labour in prayer, and souls were brought through the 
gate of repentance. 

The next mornina; I crossed the moors and arrived 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 207 

at Silton, drenched with rain, and preached at night. 
The next day I walked eight miles in a heavy storm of 
wind and rain, and stopped at Mr. Wood's. From there I 
went to Chopgate, and spoke out of doors, and had a 
huge assembly of all conditions, and again at two 
o'clock : two souls jvere made alive in Christ. At night I 
met the class at Anterley, and the society now reached 
twenty-three. After making a plan to direct my col- 
leagues in this mission, in which I opened many places 
and travelled 400 miles on foot, my whole expenses 
amounting to thirty shillings in nine weeks, I set off 
for the Hull June quarter-day, 1821, travelling by way 
of Thirsk, Ripon, and Leeds. Our total number of 
members was now .... 5,958 
But making three circuits from the parent circuit: — 
Brother ton with . . . .380 

Pocklington .... 655 

Hutton Rudby .... 325 

Hull was now left with members . . 4,598 



CHAPTER XXII. 

• 

Journal — Durham — Preaches in Darlington — Mr. Young at Ingleton — 
Society formed — Large Congregations — Darlington — Mission ground 
cultivated — Affairs of Hull Circuit — Zeal — F. N. Jersey — Bishop 
Auckland — Barnard Castle — S. Laistor — Rising of the Circuit — 
First Missionary Meeting in Hull. 



The next mission I undertook in the name of Him 
who said to his servants, — " Go ye into all the world," 
was Darlington, in the county of Durham. 

I stood forth out of doors in North-gate, and addressed 
a very attentive congregation ; many appeared much 
affected. The same day I went to Ingleton, a distance 
of eight miles. After singing up the street, I delivered 
a short exhortation, and then held a prayer-meeting at 
the house of Wm. Young, where much good was done. 
On Monday evening I spoke again, and after a cry for 
mercy I formed a society of fifteen. The night following 
I was at Cockfield, and preached abroad. At Ingleton 
I preached again, and another joined our society. 

On the next Sunday I preached, morning and evening, 
at Darlington : in the evening the number that heard was 
computed to be 2,000. I afterwards walked to Ingle- 
ton, preached again, and led class ; this was a day of 
labour, but of great delight. The next night I was at 
Cockfield, and the night after at Evenwood, where a 
soul was made free. At Summer-house I stood up 
in the open air, and returned to the hospitable home 
of Brother Young, at Ingleton. On Sunday I was at 



LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 209 

Darlington, where I preached in Bond-gate, and at 
Ingleton, at night, where I gave tickets to a society of 
twenty members. Next day I was at Cockfield, and the 
evening after at Evenwood, where I formed a society of 
four. I preached at Shildon, where God was very 
powerful in the midst, and at Long-Newton where the 
word was clothed with the power of the Highest. 

At Darlington I spoke again, and one soul passed 
from death unto life, and on a Tuesday evening, after 
preaching, I assembled our friends, and gave them a 
general statement of the financial affairs of the Hull 
circuit, which had assumed an important aspect. In 
consequence of the numerous and important missions 
which it was conducting, the expenditure had become 
very heavy, especially during the two last quarters 
they exceeded the income, and we had agreed that in fu- 
ture the circuit should not be suffered to exceed its quar- 
terly income — that if money did not come up to pay the 
preachers' salaries, according to the stated allowance, 
then each preacher should be paid short. Such being 
the case I told them it became necessary for us to have 
no more meat bills to send to the quarter day board, and 
that we intended as preachers to throw ourselves upon 
the Lord fully, and upon the liberality of the people for 
support, whilst in our missionary labours ; and that we 
should be glad to accept of the invitations of the friends 
to take with them a meal at any time, and to participate 
with them of the simplest and most humble fare. The 
next morning, early, a gentleman called upon me, and 
after making inquiries of our discipline, and how as 
missionaries we were supported, he put a pound bill 
into my hand, observing it would get us something to 
eat when we had no invitations to that effect. Several 
friends came forward in a very hearty manner with in- 



210 LIFE OF 

vitations for us to eat and sleep, and showed, by their 
kindness to God's servants, that religion had opened 
their hearts by its active and warm benevolence. 

Accompanied now with Brother F. N. Jersey, a sailor, 
who had engaged to travel with me for a quarter as a 
missionary, I went to Heighington. We had a good 
time together. The next evening we preached at a 
village called Redworth, a dark place ; here a woman 
thought it her duty to reprove us for loud speaking in 
our services. I likewise took upon me the liberty to 
exhort her to get religion before she cried any more 
against the servants of God, or she would, when she came 
to die, be overthrown by the wrath of God, and perish 
in hell. At Eldon the following evening I preached, 
and told the people that if any of them felt a desire to 
flee from the wrath to come, they were to stop, and I 
would talk to them more closely about their souls. 
Several remained, and I spoke to them one by one ; and 
I cherished hopes of the salvation of several of them. I 
then went on to Bishop -Auckland, and preached in an 
upper room ; the floor was very decayed, and the props 
supporting it were feeble ; in the midst of my discourse 
the props gave way. I felt in danger, and inwardly 
waited on God, and a few friends promptly secured the 
floor from further danger — then I proceeded with my ser- 
mon. The word, however, did not succeed, as the fears of 
the people had been aroused, by what had taken place, in 
such a manner as to prevent their receiving good. After 
preaching again on the Monday evening I formed a 
society. I now proceeded to Barnard- Castle, a place 
which had been missioned by Brother Samuel Laister, 
who died soon after, and went to his reward. Here we 
had a society of 1 20 raised in four months. I preached 
three times to overwhelming congregations with blessed 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 211 

results. Visiting Hurworth next, I found no opening 
for the truth, so I turned away, and on Sunday I was 
at Darlington, and assisted in the opening of our new 
chapel in that town. The collections amounted to 
171 2s. On Monday I assembled the official brethren 
in order to examine the state of the mission, as the 
general quarterly meeting at Hull was at hand. We 
were all happy to find the mission in a prosperous con- 
dition ; the number in it was 508, and the increase for 
the quarter had been 163 : more money had been raised 
also than paid the salaries of the preachers. 

At the quarter-day board at Hull we found our finan- 
cial state considerably improved ; the preachers' allow- 
ances were all paid, and a balance left in hand. The 
two preceding quarters, as I have remarked, there was 
a sinking, which induced us to come to the resolution 
of the preachers only taking what was on the board, and 
not suffering the circuit to go into debt. The minutes 
of Conference for 1826, page 6, state that the circuit 
was in debt, which circumstance led to the determination 
already mentioned ; but such was not the case, the cir- 
cuit had sunk considerably, but its funds were not 
exhausted. 

Before I proceed to detail in order my next missionary 
operations, I may briefly take notice of the numerical 
strength of the Hull circuit during a few successive 
quarters, as affording evidence of the good hand of the 
Lord being upon us, and mightily carrying on his glori- 
ous work in our day and generation. 

In the September quarter of 1821, already referred 
to, Leeds was made a circuit with 984 members. 

In December quarter three more circuits were made, 
namely : — Malton, with 672 members ; Ripon, with 439 
members ; Skipton, with 346 members. 



212 LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 

At this period seven circuits had been made from the 
parent circuit, with a total of 3,801 members. 

In the March quarter, 1822, our number in Hull 
circuit was 3,986, and the number left us to form the 
seven circuits alluded to, being 3,801, there must have 
been at this time, raised by Hull circuit 7,787 members. 
At the time of the December quarterly meeting we held 
our first missionary meeting in Hull. Thomas Thompson, 
Esq., was at the meeting ; he gave a handsome do- 
nation to our missions, and declared he never attended 
a better missionary meeting. 

In June quarter, 1822, York was made a circuit 
with members . . . . .413 

In December quarter, 1822, Settle was given 
up with. . . . . .34 

In the eight circuits, dismembered from the 
parent, there were members . . . 4,248 

And the number which remained was . 4,461 



The total was . . . . 8,709 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

Journal — Northumberland — Stanhope — Preaches at Newcastle-upon- 
Tyne — Shields— Blyth — -Long-room, Sunderland, South Shields — 
Disorder — Loughborough Conference — Report — Protracted meeting 
in Sunderland — Work rolls on — Morpeth — Persecutor disarmed 
— Dr. Oxley — Aroused by a storm in the night — Escapes. 

In being determined to extend the missionary labours 
of the connexion into Northumberland, on my way to 
the North I stopped at Mickleton, and declared the 
testimony of God, but saw no fruit ; and the next day, 
through wind and rain, I travelled to Satley on the hills, 
and was very kindly received by an affectionate people, 
who received the word with gladness of heart. At 
Wolsingham I preached at two o'clock in the open air, 
and at six in the evening in the preaching-room. I had 
a most blessed day, and the society of about fifty was 
in prosperity. I then took Stanhope, and preached 
abroad ; the society consisting of seventeen members. I 
then returned to Wolsingham, and preached, and renewed 
the society's tickets. I then visited Hamsterley, Barnard 
Castle, and other places, and directing Brother Jersey 
to take up West Gate, I visited Newcastle, and 
preached on the Ballast Hills. I then pushed on to 
North Shields, and South Shields, and Sunderland. 
On Sunday at North Shields I spoke in a school-room 
to a crowded congregation ; on the next evening, after a 
powerful preaching service, I requested those who had 
got good to remain ; several remained, and after ascer- 



214 LIFE OF 

taining that they were determined for the kingdom, I 
formed them into a society. On the Wednesday I set 
off for Blyth, a small sea port in Northumberland, and 
spoke with liberty ; the people heard with attention, 
and I was invited to lodge with Mr. Aples. On 
Friday I returned to Shields ; and on the same day I 
preached at Howden Pans. It was a solemn time, deep 
impressions appeared to be made on the hearts of the 
people. On Sunday I spoke again, at North Shields, 
at ten, then at six in the evening ; several were in distress, 
and one cried out, and was afterwards comforted with the 
inward assurance of pardon through the blood of Jesus 
Christ. On the Monday evening following, at Howden 
Pans, I preached in a timber shed to about a thou- 
sand persons, and I had good liberty ; on the next 
day at Monkseaton, we had a shower from above, and 
afterwards at Blyth. On Sunday the 17th, at North 
Shields, the word ran and was glorified, many were 
struck with convictions, and seven fresh members 
joined, and on Monday evening I spoke at the top part 
of the town, and formed a fresh class. 

On Sunday 24th, I preached three times in the open 
air ; souls were in distress at night, and some found 
the Lord. On Sunday following I preached again three 
times at North Shields with powerful effect ; the work 
still rolled on ; I then went to Newcastle, and designed 
to preach at Ballast Hills, but having a severe pain in 
my side a friend preached for me. I then preached at 
Cherton and Pallion, and on the Tuesday evening I 
spoke in a long room at Sunderland. — We had a very 
large company, and many souls cried out for mercy. The 
next day I waited on one under conviction, and whilst 
praying with her, God set her sister's soul at liberty ; 
but during the praying, the old mother came in to order 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 215 

silence, because some people in the street were saying 
" Ah ! these men will turn the woman's head." 

On Monday I proceeded to Jarrow and preached, and 
then went on to Hilton Ferry, and preached to a 
crowded house ; one man cried aloud, that he was never 
so blessed in all his life. At Sunderland again in the 
Long-room we had a time of refreshing from the pre- 
sence of the Lord ; on the Sunday following these 
services, I opened a large room for preaching at South 
Shields ; in the afternoon it was crowded, and in the 
evening vast numbers could not gain admittance. In 
preaching, I felt very much shut up and pressed in 
spirit; after the preaching was concluded, a prayers 
meeting followed, and the emissaries of the devil were 
very strong and active in their opposition, whilst the 
friends of Jesus laboured with all their might : the 
powers of hell were in a measure beaten back ; for a cry 
for mercy broke out. But the disorder and annoyance 
of many standing upon the seats, and pressing forward 
to see what was the matter, was very trying ; however, 
the result was, two souls professed to find the Lord, 
and were made happy in the love of Christ Jesus. 
The time for the Conference to be held at Lough- 
borough having nearly arrived, and more help arriving 
from Hull for the mission, I started, accompanied with 
two friends, as lay delegates, to attend the Conference 
of 1822. We reached Loughborough on the evening 
of May 27th, and I preached in the chapel, and two 
souls were saved. 

The Conference commenced on the 28th of May, 
and terminated on the 5th of June. — The number of 
members at this yearly meeting was found to be — 
25,218, being an increase for the year of 8,824. 

As soon as the Conference was dissolved, I has- 



216 LIFE OF 

tened back to the Northern mission, and opened a 
preaching room at Blyth ; here, however, the work moved 
but slowly. On the Sunday I was at Sunderland, and 
spoke in the Long-room — the place was so uncommonly 
crowded, that it was with considerable difficulty I 
could reach the pulpit : it was to my soul a blessed day, 
and the power of Jehovah's arm was made bare among 
the assembled hundreds. On the Monday evening at 
Pallion, there was a shaking among the dry bones ; 
and the night after, in the Long-room again, the meeting 
was protracted until ten o'clock, and two went through 
the narrow gate of being " born again." At Jarrow 
I afterwards proclaimed the Saviour, but there was no 
" sign" The Sabbath-day following was a high day at 
Sunderland, where I spoke twice, and added thirteen 
souls to the society. On Monday night I was at 
Hilton Ferry, and the following evening at East Bol- 
don ; but nothing particular occurred. At South Shields, 
the next Sabbath, there was a shout for mercy, and two 
souls fled to the foot of the cross ; at Percy Main the 
unction of the Holy One was felt by many, and at 
South Shields again, after preaching twice, the bread 
appeared upon the waters after many days. From 
Shields I pushed on farther North with the mission, 
and opened a preaching room at Morpeth. When 1 
first preached abroad, accompanied with J. Nelson, 
while he was preaching in the town, one person, a gen- 
tleman in appearance, became very clamorous, and 
disturbing to the congregation : he appeared as if he 
purposed to rush upon me, and then withdrew, and anon 
often advanced again. I endeavoured to fix my eyes 
upon him, and inwardly to wait upon God ; he then 
became more furious, and I observed as he approached 
me, apparently with an evil design, several times, he 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 217 

never came close up to me : it reminded me of that 
passage in Scripture, Job. xxxviii. 11 : " Hitherto 
shalt thou go, but no further ; and here shall thy proud 
waves be stayed." 

I next visited West Moor, and then rapidly hastened 
back to Sunderland, and laboured on the sabbath ; the 
work went on most prosperously. We had now ninety 
members. Three souls this time found the sinner's 
Friend. At Monkwearmouth, I stood up, and power 
attended the ministration : five souls joined society. 
At South Shields again the holy waters rose ; but at 
Hilton, Jarrow, and Pallion the work did not pro- 
gress. At Newcastle I preached, and the glory of the 
Most High was with us ; and at William Pit the power 
came down in vast plenitude : the work here rose in 
strength. We had a society of thirty-four at Benton 
Square, where I had a good time, but afterwards felt 
great indisposition of body. I then went on to North 
Shields and preached, but was still poorly, The next 
evening we held our preparatory quarterly meeting, we 
found matters both temporal and spiritual in a favour- 
able state, we had money sufficient to pay the preachers' 
salaries in the mission, a point this that I have always 
paid particular attention to as a leading missionary ; 
and I thank God that I mostly succeeded in this matter 
in the many missions I undertook, on behalf of God, 
poor sinners, and the connexion. At the period of our 
quarterly meeting, Brother T. Nelson, J. Nelson, and 
myself, were accommodated in the house of Dr. Oxley 
with lodgings; during one evening a most terrible wind 
arose and blew down a lofty chimney, and broke in the 
roof of the house just by where we slept. I had been 
awoke by the noise of the wind, and had risen to 
dress myself just before the chimney fell. I roused 



218 LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 

up my companions, who were indeed greatly alarmed, 
and well they might, for the wind had risen to a perfect 
hurricane : in the mean time the doctor had got up with 
his wife and children, and were crying to us to quit the 
room. We therefore contrived to escape by the top 
of the roof, which lay then on the stair-case, holding our- 
selves by the wall. The doctor and his family escaped 
to the house of a neighbour, without any injury. Much 
damage was done to the town by the tempest, which 
overthrew several buildings. The storm was at its height 
about three o'clock in the morning, and it had a very 
awful aspect. By the mercy of God we narrowly 
escaped, and the house, with the exception of the injury 
sustained to the roof, stood firm against the beating 
tornado. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

Journal — Cumberland — Preaches in Carlisle — Good prospect — Missions 
— Work prospers — Prince of Denmark — Penrith — Haltwistle — 
Singular old woman — Hutton Rudby division — Struggle of parties 
— Circuit recovered — Leeds Conference — Crowther's history of the 
Methodists — Tunstall charity sermons — Missions Whitehaven — Mr. 
Summersides — Devil rages — Camp-meeting on Harris Moor — 
Preachers' fund — Disaffection — Whitehaven mission — Report of 
Hull Circuit. 

The next county in England to -which I was 
directed to carry the gospel, and establish the Pri- 
mitive Methodist cause, was the county of Cum- 
berland. 

I preached the first time in a hat warehouse in the 
city of Carlisle, where I met with kind friends who took 
me in and made me a home. I was blessed with con- 
siderable enlargement of soul whilst publishing the 
message of mercy, and every circumstance indicated 
that a good work was likely to take place. On the 
Sunday following I preached at Little Corby, and formed 
a class of four members ; and on the same day I pushed 
on to Brampton, and spoke at two in the afternoon and 
six in the evening. On Tuesday evening I preached ; 
and on Wednesday, in a private house, I exhorted, and 
two souls were brought to Jesus. On the Thursday I 
proceeded in a similar manner, and a similar result 
followed. On this day I felt my heart peculiarly drawn 
out to pray for my old friends, labouring in different 
parts, in the good cause to which my powers of body 
l2 



220 LIFE OF 

and mind were devoted. After my return to Carlisle, 
T again held forth the Lamb of God with abundant 
success ; many were powerfully affected, and either four 
or five found peace. The next night I preached at 
New Town, a place connected with the city, with satis- 
faction ; and after speaking at Catecote's, where one 
soul was saved, and in the city, I proceeded to Bramp- 
ton, where I preached twice : several exhibited symp- 
toms of spiritual distress. After discoursing at Irding- 
ton, I spoke again at Brampton, and another individual 
found the pearl of great price. At Talkin, after I had 
preached, one man observed that I had alarmed him 
in such a manner, that in future he would only go to 
the church. I told him he might do this if he thought 
proper, but he must take care to have his soul saved. 

On the next Lord's day, at Carlisle, we had a large 
and disorderly multitude, partly occasioned by an ad- 
vertisement which had appeared in the newspaper, 
stating that a collection would be made to support some 
fellows who had gone mad, like the Prince of Den- 
mark. God, however, put a hook in the jaws of the 
leviathans. 

The converting work of God, notwithstanding all the 
obloquy and sneers to which we were subject, went 
onward. On examining the state of the society, I found 
we had seventy members. I now began and visited 
from house to house, and felt in that employment a 
burning heaven in my soul. My soul experienced a 
stronger love to perishing sinners, and a greater anxiety 
to pluck the brands from the burning. 

I next went to Penrith, a town about eighteen miles 
from Carlisle, where I preached several times, and I trust 
not in vain. Having now to proceed to Hull to the 
quarter day board, I called at Haltwistle, and held a 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 221 

meeting at the house of Mr. Saints, and whilst I was 
agonizing in prayer with the Lord, and crying to him. 
to come to our help, one old woman shouted out 
" Zounds ! what does the man mean ? I am sure if God 
is coming 'tis time for me to go !" Accordingly she 
hastened out with all speed. At this place a society 
was formed, which prospered ; and in general this mission 
in the north of the kingdom advanced. In carrying up 
the accounts to Hull, I felt an indescribable delight 
arising from the prosperous state of things, and having 
to communicate to my Hull friends good news from a 
far country. 

At this quarter day board three more circuits were 
made from the parent one : — Silsden, which had 559 mem- 
bers ; Preston, which had 252 ; Clithero, which had 139. 
The number of members which remained with us, after 
these deductions, was 4,012. At this period, eleven cir- 
cuits had been made from us, and the total number of 
members raised by the Hull circuit at this time would 
be 9,240. After the quarterly meeting was ended, I was 
engaged to embark upon a very trying business at 
Brompton, where we had a chapel and a good society. 
A division had taken place through T. J., a travelling 
preacher, who had withdrawn himself from us. A con- 
siderable part of the circuit had embraced the cause of 
T. J., and matters were brought into a state of the 
utmost confusion. It was thought advisable that I 
should proceed to the scene of disorder, and endeavour 
to recover the circuit, as I had first missioned it. When 
I went, and saw the state of things, my heart was nearly 
broken with distress, and I soon found the difficulties I 
had to combat were of no common kind. I, however, 
found some encouragement to go on, endeavouring by 



222 LIFE OF 

every possible means to repair and build up the waste 
places. In the midst of my engagements here, I was 
obliged to return to Hull, to attend a district meeting. 
We had a very tranquil and satisfactory district 
meeting. I preached in Hull chapel on the Sunday, 
and the glory filled the house. I then hastened to 
Hutton-Rudby, accompanied by Brother Hebbron, to 
which place the division of T. J. had extended. We 
waited upon Mr. Merrywether, the heir of Mr. Sugget, 
who had left us the Hutton-Rudby chapel by a clause 
in his will. 

Mr. Merrywether read us that part of the will referring 
to the bequest of the chapel. I was aware that all was 
correct, because Mr. Sugget had given me a copy before 
his death, and assigned a reason for so doing. The 
circumstances of this case are briefly as follow : — When 
it was agreed that a chapel should be erected at Hutton- 
Rudby, it was determined that the chapel should be 
conveyed on trust for the use of the Primitive Method- 
ists; but the person who had promised to give us land 
to build on could not give a legal title ; accordingly 
Mr. Sugget saw no other alternative than to build the 
chapel on a piece of his own croft, and convey it to the 
society by will. When, therefore, I had had the interview 
with Mr. Merrywether, I went to the chapel keeper and 
requested the key ; but he, being one of T. J.'s party, 
refused to deliver it up. I nevertheless announced to 
the inhabitants that I should preach in the chapel on 
Sunday. Accordingly, when the time arrived I pro- 
ceeded to the chapel, but on arriving there I found 
T. J. had taken possession of the pulpit. I went up to 
him and requested him in the name of the Primitive 
Methodists to give place, but he refused. I then walked 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 223 

out of the chapel, and preached out of doors whilst he 
preached within. In the evening, however, I got the 
start of the opposition party, and was at the door when 
it came up ; for by this time the spirit of party had 
become very strong among the people, and I began to 
be afraid of mischief being done ; but the constables 
attended to prevent a breach of the peace. As we all 
stood at the chapel door, I lifted up my heart to ask 
divine aid in our behalf, for I was conscious I was in a 
just cause, standing up to defend the rights of the Pri- 
mitive Methodists against a faction. At this period one 
of T. J.'s party went to the chief constable, and requested 
him to come and lead Mr. J. safely into the chapel ; but 
the constable told him he had as much right to lead Mr. 
Clowes into it as T. J., for the money he had given to 
the chapel, he had given to Mr. Clowes. The party 
of T. J. not succeeding to press into the chapel, in oppo- 
sition to my friends, then went away, and had preaching 
in the open air at one end of the town, and I abode 
with my friends, and we had preaching also. When I 
went to my lodgings, the whole town appeared to be in 
a divided state, through this unhappy affair, and I was 
glad to get into private. However, we ended the matter 
at last by forcing our way into the chapel, and taking 
possession, and we have kept our ground ever since 
T. J.'s party was broken up. We had reason, however, 
to be thankful afterwards, for the cause gradually rose 
after this conflict, and the circuit has done tolerably 
well ever since. 

The time now drew near when our conference was to 
be held in the town of Leeds. I accordingly proceeded 
to attend its sittings, w T hich commenced May 20, 1823. 
At this conference we had several matters of a trying 



224 LIFE OF 

nature to occupy the attention of the delegates. At 
the meeting it was ordered that a travelling preacher 
should meet at Hull on the 24th of August following 
from every circuit, for the purpose of forming a Preacher's 
Fund, for the support of worn-out preachers, and their 
widows and children. The friends in Leeds displayed 
the utmost kindness and true Christian hospitality to 
the members of the conference assembled in their town , 
and the various religious services connected with the 
conference were powerful and converting seasons, At 
this period the Connexion stood as follows : — 

Circuits . . . . .45 

Travelling Preachers . . . 202 

Local Preachers .... 1,435 
Members ..... 29,472 
In looking into Crowther's History of the Methodists, 
I find that Mr. Wesley opened his twenty-fourth confe- 
rence in London. Mr. Whitfield attended the last two 
days. It was at this conference that Mr. Wesley began 
to publish the number of members in the different 
circuits. They stood as follow : — 



CIRCUITS. 


PREACHERS. 


MEMBERS. 


In England 25 


. 75 


22,410 


In Ireland . 9 


. 19 


2,801 


In Scotland . 5 


. 7 


468 


In Wales . 1 


. 3 


235 


40 


104 


25,914 



Thus it will be seen from this view, that the Primitive 
Methodist Connexion stood more in number at the 
period of its fourth conference, than the Methodist body 
at the time of its twenty-fourth I 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 225 

From the Leeds conference I went to Hull, to attend 
the June quarterly meeting. At this meeting two cir- 
cuits were made from the parent circuit. 

North Shields, with . . members 335 

And Scarborough and Whitby with . . 353 

After these deductions, there remained . . 3,813 

Just prior to the above quarterly meeting, I was 

summoned to Tunstall, to preach sermons for the benefit 

of the Sunday-school. The collections amounted to 

the sum of 40?., which sum far exceeded any previous 

collection made in our chapel, or any other in that 

town. 

I now, by appointment, made my way to Liverpool, 
and spoke on the Sunday evening, and was in my full 
glory ; the influence was uncommonly grand. I then 
proceeded by way of Carlisle to Whitehaven, to mission 
this town, assisted by Brother Summersides. On the 
Sunday subsequent to my arrival, I preached twice in 
the open air ; the people behaved in a respectful manner, 
and a society was formed. On the Monday I preached 
again, and on Tuesday at Parton, and on Wednesday 
at Workington, where our way opened. I then, on the 
following evenings, spoke at Egremont, Harris, and 
Harrington. 

On Sunday I preached three times at Whitehaven, 
and again on Monday evening, when the floods lifted 
up their hands ; the wicked exhibited the fruits of the 
carnal mind, which is enmity towards God. This 
outbreak, however, was hailed as an evidence of good 
being done, for the devil rages when his interest is 
assailed. One man was alarmed with a sense of his 
danger, and some others found comfort. 

At Low Mill the converting work broke out, and on 
the following evening I spoke at St. Bee's with liberty. 
l3 



226 LIFE OF 

Brother Beatie, who became a travelling preacher, was 
of the fruit of this mission. Preaching at Chater, whilst 
I was dwelling on the omnipresence of the Deity, one 
man cried out — " Why, I never heard such a fool in 
my life." I immediately replied to him, and observed, 
that many thought the same of old Noah, whilst he was 
building the ark, and warning sinners to flee from the 
wrath to come ; but when God had shut him and his 
pious family in the ark, and shut all the world out, and 
when the storm came on, they certainly changed their 
opinion. I then followed on by a succession of appeals 
to the consciences of the wicked present, and a powerful 
effect was produced among them, and I afterwards joined 
six to society who were anxious to flee from the wrath 
to come. I was in a state of high perspiration with 
exertion, and in returning home I was drenched with 
rain. The consideration that God had blessed my 
labours in the salvation of souls, bore me up and sup- 
ported me through all. 

We now made arrangements to hold a camp-meeting 
upon Harris Moor. This was a new thing in this part 
of the earth, and vast multitudes gathered themselves 
together. 

The camp meeting was not continued beyond noon, 
in consequence of the rain ; however, before we left the 
ground, four souls obtained liberty, and then we retired 
to Foxlane warehouse, a place we had fitted up as a 
preaching room. We continued our religious services 
until five o'clock, and then at six we began the camp 
meeting love feast. There arose shortly a mighty cry 
for pardoning mercy among the people, and it was sup- 
posed about ten souls found peace with God, through 
our Lord Jesus Christ. 

The time being now nearly come when the preachers 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 227 

had to assemble to form their fund at Hull, I proceeded 
thither, and the meeting was held as expected. At this 
time there existed a feeling of strong dissatisfaction 
among certain parties, disapproving of many matters in 
the constitution of the Connexion, and which appeared 
to me likely to produce a division. I laboured to the 
utmost to place the state of things in a proper light, 
and to show the importance of following the way of 
Providence, and hastening on to convert the souls of 
men. By the influence I was enabled to wield over 
the minds disaffected, accompanied by the Spirit of God, 
the feeling of hostility departed, and in a missionary 
meeting which we held, supported by about twenty tra- 
velling preachers on the platform, union and co-opera- 
tion in the great work of converting the world swallowed 
up every other consideration, and we separated, every 
man to his station, determined to unfurl the banners of 
the cross with unflinching intrepidity. 

At the next quarterly meeting at Hull, in September, 
we made no new circuit, but the number of members 
had augmented to 4,619. Being again according to 
appointment in the county of Cumberland, I united Pen- 
rith and Brough as one mission, and sent Brother Jersey 
into the Carlisle branch. The friends in Kendal hav- 
ing erected a new chapel, I dedicated the edifice to the 
service of the most high God, by preaching sermons 
suited to the occasion. I had great liberty in my soul 
in the spiritual exercises, and crowded congregations 
assembled. I then made my way into the Whitehaven 
mission, and found the work going on through the 
labours of Brother Summersides. On the Sunday I 
spoke three times, and not in vain. I afterwards 
preached at Loca and Harris, and returning to White- 
haven, I delivered a funeral sermon, and it was a weeping 



228 LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 

occasion. On visiting Cockermouth I spoke to a people* 
apparently very hardened, and afterwards slept at a 
public-house, for there was no other home for me at that 
time. The next evening I was at Great Clifton, and felt 
satisfaction ; and the evening following at Dissington : 
we had a shaking time, and a good work of God fol- 
lowed. At Workington I preached several times ; at 
this place the work had gone on well from the beginning : 
about thirty were in society. I then took Harrington, 
Egremont, Low Mill, and Cleator, and then made my 
appearance again at Whitehaven, and conducted a love- 
feast. We had a glorious cry for mercy, and it was 
clearly ascertained that four souls entered the glorious 
liberty of God's dear children. The next day I went 
to Carlisle, and on Tuesday evening preached at New 
Town, and had a good time. At Dalston I preached, 
and had a gracious visit from on high ; and the day after 
we held a missionary meeting in Carlisle ; it was ex- 
ceedingly profitable. 

I now departed from the Whitehaven mission, in 
which God had in a marvellous manner opened our way, 
and enabled us in a short time to raise a society of 182 : 
and went to the quarterly meeting in Hull, December 13,, 
1823. At this quarterly meeting we lost from our list 
of branches, Sunderland and South Shields, which were 
made into two circuits, with 1,012 members. 

If to these be added 5,928, members, forming 13 
circuits, made from the mother circuit, and 3,874 that 
remained, the total of members raised by the Hull circuit 
alone, in less than four years, will be 10,814 souls. 
What hath God wrought ! 



CHAPTER XXV. 

Journal — Loudon — State of the cause in the Metropolis — Journey to 
town — Meet; the Society principles laid down — Pimlico — West- 
minster — Hackney-road — Brentford—Slow progress — Mr. Taylor 
and the London swindler — Difficulties — Mrs. Gardiner — Distress of 
mind — Halifax conference — Reports — Preachers at Cambridge — 
Collegians— Wesleyan superintendent — Camp-meeting at Stoke 
Newington — Preaches in Clare Market — Police — Singular turn of 
the affair — Open air, Westminster — Sheerness — Convicts — Case of 
a lady from India — Hull missionary meeting — Remarks — Feng- 
bridge — Execution of Fauntleroy — Shadwell — Tunstall — Conver- 
sions — Impostors — -Snowsfields — Awful state of London — Case of a 
deluded man — Camp-meeting on banks, Camberwell canal — Re- 
markable persecution — Judgments on persecutors — The devils in 
London — Sunderland conference — Progress of the cause in London- 
Report of Hull circuit. 

The illustrious prophet Isaiah represents Jehovah as 
saying, " I will say to the north, Give up ; and to the 
south, Keep not back ; bring my sons from far, and my 
daughters from the ends of the earth." In my late 
mission the north had greatly given up ; God had in a 
gracious manner opened my way ; and now, in the pro- 
vidence of God, I was called to the south of our island — 
to London, the metropolis of the kingdom. Our Leeds 
friends had, in the first instance, sent a missionary to 
London, and the way of the Lord began to open, and 
the friends shortly made the mission into a small circuit ; 
but afterwards a disagreement in the views of the lead- 
ing men took place, and the circuit was divided ; one 
part was called " London East," and the other " Lon- 



230 



LIFE OF 



don West." But this arrangement did not succeed, and 
an application was made to Hull circuit to take London 
under its wings : accordingly I was appointed as the 
leading missionary for London. On my journey up 
to town I felt considerable indisposition, and the wea- 
ther was stormy ; added to which, I had travelled, during 
the last seven weeks, about 1,100 miles. 

When I began to examine the temporal and spiritual 
state of the cause, I found matters in a state of con- 
siderable confusion, and a heavy debt hanging upon the 
society. I immediately began to arrange a system of 
management in conformity with the rules of the Con- 
nexion ; and in meeting the society I strongly urged 
upon them simplicity of dress, and a deeper baptism of 
the Holy Spirit of God. I preached my first sermon 
at Pimlico, on January 11, 1824, in a small room which 
held about sixty people. The greater part of the con- 
gregation I took thither with me : very few in the 
neighbourhood attended. I had a very good time in 
preaching, but at this place there appeared no opening. 
The rent of the small preaching place was twelve pounds 
a year ; I therefore desired our friends to give up the 
place, which was immediately done. At six in the 
evening I went to Westminster, and the aspects of the 
society here were more encouraging. At Old Brent- 
ford I had a small company, and returning to West- 
minster on the sabbath we had a full house and a pow- 
erful season. On Monday evening we held a com- 
mittee meeting at the house of Mrs. Gardiner, and made 
certain regulations to be acted on with reference to 
renting preaching rooms and chapels. At the east of 
London, in the house of Mrs. Jays, I preached, and it 
was a glorious time to many precious souls. 

On February the 1st, I preached at Brentford twice, 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 231 

and there appeared more auspicious signs. In renew- 
ing the tickets I found thirty-two members. I then 
went to Hackney-road, and preached with success : 
afterwards I met some delegates from the west end, 
who were anxious for all the work to be thrown toge- 
ther, which was done accordingly. At Westminster, 
in preaching again, we had a cry for mercy, and one 
soul was saved, still a general work did not break forth. 
What a difference there was between the north and the 
south! On the Friday evening following this I met 
the preachers' class, and joined two souls more in 
society; and on the next sabbath we had a blessed 
time, and two souls found peace with God. The work 
now appeared to rise, and eighty-two members consti- 
tuted the society, twenty-two being added during the 
ten weeks I laboured in the city. It being now the 
time for our quarterly meeting, I departed from London, 
accompanied by Mr. Taylor, for Hull. As we travelled, 
he related to me an account how he had been deceived 
by a swindler in London, the second day he had been in 
town. Rather early in the morning he was proceeding 
from Hackney-road into the city, and inquired of an 
individual, going in the same direction as himself, the 
way to St. Paul's ; the person, professing to direct him, 
said to Mr. Taylor, " I suppose you are from the 
country ?" Mr. Taylor replied, that he was. " Well," 
replied the man, "I am from the country, but I have 
been in London for some time, and I know now a 
great deal about it." They had not proceeded very 
far along the street together before the man suddenly 
picked up a pocket-book, exclaiming, " We have got 
a prize ; now at the next coffee-shop we come to, we 
will turn in, and see what we have got, and we will 
fairly divide the spoil." Both, however, appeared impa- 



232 LIFE OF 

tient to know the contents, and they turned into the 
first public house. On examining the pocket-book 
there was found a jewel and a receipt belonging to the 
Right Hon. Lady Dundas of Scotland for 5001. The 
man appeared delighted with this discovery, and re- 
marked that there would be, no doubt, by twelve o'clock, 
an advertisement out, offering a reward of 501. for the 
property ; " and then," said he, " we will divide it, and 
it will be 251. each for us ; but," observed the man, 
" I cannot stop till noon, because I have important 
business in the city to attend to." "And I have busi- 
ness also of a very urgent nature to attend to imme- 
diately," said Mr. T. " Well, then," replied the per- 
son, " it will be the best for us to meet here again at 
noon, or, if you choose, you may have the pocket-book 
and jewel, and give me 251., or I will keep the property 
and give you 25Z." Mr. Taylor to this proposition 
stated that he had not then so much cash upon him as 
251. " Nor I," replied the man, " but I will step out 
and borrow the sum, and return immediately." The 
man instantly departed, but returned in a few minutes, 
and said to Mr. Taylor that he was disappointed, and 
the best way would be to meet at noon ; accordingly 
they parted. Mr. Taylor then went about his business, 
and afterwards called at the house of one of our friends, 
and told him the circumstance which had occurred. 
The friend cautioned him to be aware, and be upon his 
guard against fraud, and offered his services to go along 
with him ; but Mr. Taylor replied there was no need, he 
would take care that no one should swindle him. He 
accordingly kept his appointment with the man, and 
met him at the public house. The man was waiting, 
and said to Mr. Taylor that no advertisement had as 
yet appeared, and therefore as he could not stay they 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 233 

must meet again in the evening, but he would rather 
for his part make an end of it, and if Mr. Taylor would 
give him 10Z. he might take the property altogether. 
Mr. T. observed he had not so much money with him ; 
51. were all he had, and he did not wish to part with any 
money. " Well, then," the man said, " you may have 
the book and jewel ; I dare trust you, if you dare not 
trust me ; and we will put the 51. into the pocket-book." 
The man then appeared to put the 51. into the pocket- 
book along with the jewel and receipt, and put the book 
in Mr. Taylor's hand, observing that without a question 
the advertisement would be out before evening, and re- 
quested Mr. T, to be punctual in attending in the 
evening. Mr. Taylor then put the pocket-book in his 
inside waistcoat pocket, and they parted. 

Mr. Taylor hastened to the friend's house, already 
mentioned, in high spirits, and told him how well he had 
succeeded ; that he had the pocket-book and jewel, and 
had not parted with any money. " Well, then/' said 
the friend, " will you allow me to look at your prize, 
and then we can go on to a jeweller's shop and ascer- 
tain the value of the jewel." " O yes, by all means ; 
you are welcome to examine the contents." But, alas ! 
when he opened the pocket-book there was neither 
jewel, money, nor receipt ; nothing except five half- 
pennies. Mr. Taylor was confounded, and recovering 
from his consternation, he declared he stood before the 
man, and saw him put his 51. into the pocket-book with 
the jewel and receipt ; and he averred that he was now 
convinced that it was not a man that had duped him, 
it must have been the Devil. 

I arrived safely in Hull, and attended the quarter-day 
board. At this quarter-day Carlisle was made a circuit, 
and went from the parent with 212 members. Scar- 



234 LIFE OF 

borough, however, not being able to maintain its posi- 
tion as a circuit, returned to its mother with 160, and 
London with 220 members. When I had returned to 
London, the east circuit, so called, consisting of twenty- 
two members, and three preaching places, with a consi- 
derable debt, was incorporated with the other work. I 
was much perplexed with the bills coming in to be 
discharged, and what course to take I knew not : after 
crying to God, I laid our difficulties before Mrs. Gar- 
diner, and she offered to lend us 100Z. on a note, for 
the purpose of discharging the debts with which the 
cause was encumbered. I therefore paid all off, but 
considerable trouble and anxiety of mind I experienced, 
yea the sorrow and distress of mind that I laboured 
under was almost insupportable, on account of the state 
of things in London. On the Sunday after these events 
I preached three times in the south of London : several 
were cut to the heart : one person was made happy, and 
gave vent to her enraptured feelings. I then went on 
to Brentford and spoke, and had my reward : one soul 
cried out for the pardon of sin. I retired soon after the 
prayer-meeting commenced, having to return home, to 
London, the journey being altogether about eighteen 
miles. 

The next preaching services I conducted were at 
Shadwell in the morning, Cooper's Gardens in the 
afternoon, and Westminster in the evening ; but I did 
not witness salvation in the congregations, which made 
my soul weep in secret places. 

I now left London to attend the Halifax conference 
of 1824. I went by way of Tunstall, in order to see 
my wife, who had been there some time in an afflicted 
state. I arrived at Halifax on the 5th of June, and the 
next day, being Sunday, I preached in the chapel in the 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 235 

morning, brother Bowen in the afternoon, and brother 
W. in the evening. In the evening, at the vestry 
prayer-meeting, several souls were brought into the 
kingdom of the Lord Jesus, translated from the kingdom 
of Satan. The number of members at this conference 
was 33,507, being an increase for the year of 4,035. 

On returning from the conference I came by the way 
of Ferrybridge, and preached once more in Mr. Bayley ? s 
school room, and power Divine predominated in the 
service. I then proceeded to Hull, to attend the quar- 
terly meeting, and to lay my London accounts before 
it : the number of members was 136. At this quarterly 
meeting Hexham branch became a circuit with 508 mem- 
bers : if to these are added 7,152 gone with the sixteen 
circuits made at different periods before, and 3,772 
remaining with the mother circuit, the total raised by the 
Hull circuit must be, at this quarterly meeting, 11,432 
members. 

On the Sunday after my arrival in London I preached 
at Shadwell, and had a most blessed day. In the 
afternoon I took tea aboard the Jane and Elizabeth, 
and prayed with the master and the mate. My next 
services in consecutive order were at Brentford, West- 
minster, and Shadwell. I now, according to arrange- 
ment, accompanied by Brother J. Nelson, went to 
Cambridge, to re-open our chapel, our friends having 
erected a new gallery in it. I preached in the evening, 
and we had a full chapel, with a sprinkling of collegians. 
The Wesleyan superintendent was present, and made 
himself useful as a collector ; but being thus so highly 
honoured with the presence of the learned, I was con- 
siderably straitened, yet I believe good was done. The 
presence of God was felt and acknowledged. Returning 
to London along with Brother N. I went to Walworth, 



236 LIFE OF 

to settle some business in connexion with a chapel 
which we afterwards opened ; and on the 4th of July we 
held a camp-meeting at Stoke Newington, in a field. 
In the morning the congregation was slender, but in 
the afternoon the numbers were much increased. We 
Avere a little disturbed by the boys driving a cow among 
the congregation, but in general the meeting went on 
well. The praying was strong, and many were struck 
with seriousness who had in the beginning manifested 
a deal of levity. But London is London still, — careless, 
trifling, gay, and hardened through the deceitfulness of 
sin. We held the camp-meeting love-feast at Cooper's 
Gardens in the evening. The experience of the things 
of God which was expressed was very satisfactory, and 
in the prayer-meeting which followed the love-feast, 
several souls found peace with God through our Lord 
Jesus Christ. On the following evenings I preached at 
Cooper's Gardens, Shadwell, Brentford, Westminster, 
and Tottenham, but did not witness so much of the 
converting work as I had been accustomed to. On 
Sunday, August the 8th, my soul being stirred in me, 
on seeing the awful profanation of the Lord's day in 
Clare-market, I stood up among the wicked and be- 
sought them to forsake their evil ways, and turn to God. 
A crowd soon gathered around me ; some shouted in 
derision, others laughed, and some stared with astonish- 
ment at this new thing which had taken place among 
them. Many heard, however, with attention. God 
made bare his holy arm, even on this occasion, and one 
individual was convinced of sin, and forthwith aban- 
doned his practice of Sunday trading. By the mercy 
of God, amidst the crowds of violent and dangerous 
characters, I finished my sermon, and retired from the 
market, having announced that I should preach the 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 237 

next Sunday morning in the same place. When the 
next sabbath arrived, accompanied by some of my 
friends, I went to the place where, alas ! iniquity was 
flourishing, buying and selling going on in open de- 
fiance of the laws of God and man ; but we found that 
a policeman had been appointed to take me into custody, 
if I should attempt to preach and disturb the market. 
I however w T ent forward, and began to sing a hymn ; 
but I had not proceeded far in my singing before shouts, 
and yells, and execrations rung on every side, and the 
greatest confusion began to take place. The police 
then came up tome and ordered me to desist, and come 
down. I requested him to exhibit his authority : he 
then pulled out his truncheon and said, " This is my 
authority," averring if I did not desist in five minutes he 
would then take me, and observing that he had heard 
of me before, but that I should not be permitted any 
longer to disturb the market people. I told him I had 
authority from the King of heaven to preach the 
gospel, and warn sabbath-breakers of their fate, and I 
had resolved to obey God rather than man ; and if I 
must go to prison for discharging my duty to God and 
my fellow creatures, it must be so. However, just as 
the officer was about to do his duty, a Mr. Shephard, 
who lived near, stepped up, and said I should be wel- 
come to preach to the people through his window, if 
the police would not suffer me to preach in the market. 
Several of my friends recommended me to accept of this 
offer. I accordingly adopted this suggestion, and Mr. 
Shephard took me to his front window, and, opening 
the casement, I stood and preached with all my 
strength to the unruly throng. The police and leading 
persecutors appeared confused ; and my friends rising 
in courage and divine energy, we had a gracious time. 



238 LIFE OF 

I was in my full glory, and poured the thunders of the 
law upon the rebels against God and the King. I then 
went down to Westminster at eleven o'clock, and stood 
up again in the open air. The Philistines were again 
upon me ; the abandoned of God and man, like incar- 
nate devils, raged and howled around ; however, I cried 
to the infuriated multitude to repent and believe the 
gospel ; and, contrary to my expectations, I finished 
my address, and retired without suffering any injury. 
God was pleased on this occasion to say, " Hitherto 
shalt thou go, and no further ; and here shall thy proud 
waves be stayed." 

The next place I preached at was Walworth, where 
I gave tickets to a society of fifteen members; and it 
was very good to be there. 

On Thursday, the 26th, I left London for Sheerness, 
and on my arrival preached in Mr. Lyle's school-room. 
We had a large assembly, and good was done. On the 
next day I felt much interested in looking at some 
ships belonging to the navy, carrying 130 and 140 guns 
each. There were several convicts' ships destined for 
Botany Bay, and hundreds of poor convicts were la- 
bouring in the dock yards and on the roads, banished 
from their homes and friends. 

On Saturday, October the 28th, I reached Chatham, 
having gone by the Medway, and arrived in London by 
coach in the evening. The next day, being sabbath, 
I officiated three times ; in the evening gave tickets at 
Westminster to thirty in society. The work appeared 
to move forward a little : in holding our preparatory 
quarterly meeting the number of members amongst us 
had arisen to 160 ; and on Tuesday I took the steamer for 
Hull, to be present at the general board. On the 
voyage to Hull I was very sick, yet I was able to 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 289 

summon the passengers together and preach to them ; 
and considering the sickness, and the rolling of the 
vessel, we had a good time : the passengers conducted 
themselves with proper decorum and respect. After 
the service closed I walked the deck for some time, 
and whilst doing this a lady came up and asked me if I 
knew any of the Methodist preachers, Dr. Clarke, or 
Mr. Newton. I told her I did. She then said she 
should wish to have a little conversation with me when 
the vessel landed, for she had many things which pressed 
heavily upon her mind. She told me she was just 
coming from the East Indies; that she had in the cabin 
two young children and a black nurse ; that she had 
experienced the misfortune in the East to lose her 
husband, and she was returning home in great trouble. 
I told her if I could be of any service in offering her 
advice and consolation under her sorrows, I should be 
glad to do this ; accordingly, on landing at Hull, she 
invited me to take a cup of tea with her at the London 
Tavern, where she intended to stay a short period. 
"When we were just taking a little tea, a gentleman en- 
tered the room ; she instantly sprang up, and fell upon 
the gentleman's neck, and kissing him, exclaimed, " O 
my father, my father !" The scene was very touching ; 
tears rolled down both their cheeks. After the first 
burst of emotion had subsided, I observed that now, as 
her father had arrived, I would take the liberty to with- 
draw, for now she had one whom she could converse with, 
and who would be to her all she needed in her bereaved 
state ; and before I left them I prayed with them in the 
room. They both expressed their thankfulness to me 
for the attention I had manifested, and I bade them 
farewell. 

When I reached my friends at Hull, I found they had 



240 LIFE OF 

arranged to hold a missionary meeting, and appointed 
me to take the chair. I felt my unfitness for the task, 
but I took up my cross, and we had a blessed meeting. 
The relation of numerous facts as they existed in con- 
nexion with the rise and progress of the body, were 
very remarkable and striking. In no history of any 
existing denomination that I know of, are there so many 
striking incidents and peculiar manifestations of the 
Divine power as the annals of ours abound with ; and 
the present magnitude and vast moral force of the 
Connexion must awaken in the hearts of the unpreju- 
diced and unbigoted real gratitude to that God who 
carries on his work in the world by such instruments 
as seemeth him good. Praise be to the Lord ! After 
this quarter day I was appointed to visit and address 
the congregations at Ferrybridge, Brotherton, and 
the adjoining places, as the societies in those places 
were thrown into a state of partial confusion, on account 
of a travelling preacher not going to his station accord- 
ing to the decision of conference. On the 21st I 
preached at Holbeck, and the day after I reached Tun- 
stall, in order to see my wife. I found her no better, 
which was a trial to my mind. During my stay I 
preached at Tunstall and Talk o' the Hill, and was 
refreshed in my soul. I then made my way back to 
London, and laboured in the work, which went on by 
slow advances. 

October 30, in the morning,' I went to witness the 
execution of Fauntleroy, the rich banker, who was 
hanged at the Old Bailey for forgery ; but the crowds 
were so dense that I could get no nearer than Skinner- 
street. What sin hath done for thousands ! pain, banish- 
ments, and ignominious deaths, are some of its conse- 
quences here ; but what are its results in the eternal 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 241 

world ? Reader, read thy Bible to know, and make 
haste to flee from the wrath to come. 

December 5, I preached three times at Shadwell, an 
awful and depraved neighbourhood ; and renewed the 
tickets of the society. There are a few names in Sardis 
which have not defiled their garments, and they shall 
walk with Him in white, for they are worthy. 

At the next general quarter-day board, held on the 7th, 
the London mission had 201 members, and the monies 
raised were 161. 12s. 0|d. I went round by Tunstall 
again, found my poor wife as usual, and stayed a short 
time, and preached. A backslider was recovered from 
a state of deep degradation ; his soul was made so happy, 
when he again found the Lord, that as he lay upon his 
bed he shouted for joy. The sounds of praise rang 
into the adjoining house, and the people, as they lay in 
bed, were alarmed for their souls, they rose and prayed 
for mercy, and God set their souls at liberty. From 
Tunstall I set out for London once more ; the friends 
kindly paying the inside fare for me, as the nights were 
cold. The night after my arrival I led the class at 
Westminster, and just as we were about to separate, a 
young man arrayed in the height of the fashion, in ad- 
dition to his hair being in an unnatural form, announced 
to the people that on the following evening, if the people 
had no objection, he would preach in the room. I imme- 
diately answered, that it was not our custom to allow 
strangers to preach in our places of worship ; that we 
knew nothing about him; and I observed, " Besides, the 
individual who offers his services has not much the ap- 
pearance of a preacher of the gospel." He then replied, 
that dress had nothing to do with religion. I then began 
to exhort him to pray to God, and get his soul saved ; 
but he replied, that with respect to that all was right, 

M 



242 LIFE OF 

for he was saved before he was born. I then requested 
all to retire, and the door to be locked, and pressed 
upon our friends the necessity of keeping up strict dis- 
cipline ; for if this was necessary in any place, it was 
certainly necessary in London, where adventurers and 
impostors of all shades and characters swarmed around 
religious people to betray and plunder them. 

On the Friday I went to Walworth, to hold a watch- 
meeting on the last day of 1824. We had a very solemn 
and blessed season ; God was present during the flight 
of the old year, and the coming in of the new one. 

We now took up another preaching station at Snow's- 
fields in the Borough, and fitted up a room for our 
services. We had many gracious visits from on high, 
but we found the people remarkably light and unstable, 
and in general the people in the neighbourhood were 
very shy. When the preaching times arrived they stood 
at the outside of the door, and could not be persuaded 
to hear the word of the Lord within. We therefore were 
under the necessity of leaving the room and preaching on 
the outside. Many used to come, and after listening to 
a few words from the preacher they walked away per- 
fectly unconcerned, just as if he had been singing an 
old ballad, or talking about something that did not in 
the most distant manner affect them. Often I preached 
within and without the room, and laboured with all the 
powers of my body and soul ; but the pride, levity, and 
corruption of London appeared to be unassailable ; the 
powers of hell reigned fearfully triumphant, — the pall 
of midnight darkness rested upon thousands of all orders 
of society. O, for God's mighty arm to be outstretched, 
to shake the mighty Babylon to its centre ! After I 
had held a love-feast at Snow's-fields, a stranger who 
was in the place, was desired by the doorkeeper to retire ; 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 243 

but he refused, saying that the Lord had told him that 
he was to stay there all night to pray ; accordingly they 
locked the door, and requested the police to look to the 
place, as a man who had refused to leave it was locked 
up. In the morning our friends unlocked the door, 
and the man was there ; but whether he had prayed all 
night or not they could not tell : he had however been 
very quiet. In the course of the day the deceived man 
made his way to Mrs. Gardiner's, where I was lodging, 
and inquired for me. As soon as I saw him I in- 
quired his business ; he told me he supposed I was a 
man of faith, and God had sent him to request me to go 
directly to Cooper's-gardens' chapel with him : he then 
pulled out of his pocket two large sheets of paper, 
written on all sides, containing all that God had said to 
him, which I must read. I told him it was unneces- 
sary for me to read all his papers ; he might, in a few 
words, tell me the substance of his case. He then told 
me he was from Guernsey ; that he was a broken trades^ 
man, and had debts to discharge amounting to 240/., 
but he had found the Lord, and wished to pay all off, 
and that he had fasted and prayed a long time, and God 
had told him to come to England and he should find 
the money, and I was the man that must help him in 
the case, for I was a man of faith ; and the Lord had 
said to him that I was to accompany him to Cooper's- 
gardens' chapel to sing and pray, and the money would 
come — 240Z. As the man was going on with his case, 
I felt an impression on my mind that he was labouring 
under the delusion of the devil ; I therefore told him 
that I believed the Lord had not sent him to me, that 
he was a deceived man, and that I had no faith in his 
case. I told him if the Lord had sent him in the way he 
described, the Lord would have given me some intima- 
m 2 



244 LIFE OF 

tion or faith about the matter, but as I had received no 
intimation or faith about it, it was manifest he was sub- 
ject to a false spirit. Besides the faith that I had, led 
me to advise him to go to the wife and children whom he 
stated he had left at Guernsey, and work industriously 
with his hands, and live as sparingly as possible, assur- 
ing him that lenity thus secured from his creditors 
would lead to his delivery. I urged him to abandon 
the foolish idea that money could be prayed into 
Cooper's-gardens' chapel for his deliverance, saying 
that God did not make use of extraordinary means to 
effect certain ends when the ordinary means were ade- 
quate. I told him I was sorry for him, and was willing 
to give him a loaf of bread for the day, and advised 
him to make great haste to the place whence he had 
come, to pray to God, and labour in an honest manner, 
and assured him that God would effect his deliverance, 
and save his soul. He still wished to continue the con- 
versation, but I told him I had said all I intended to 
say on the matter ; accordingly he departed. A con- 
siderable time after this, an acquaintance of mine from 
the island of Guernsey, called at my house in Hull. I 
told her of the individual referred to : she said she knew 
him very well, and that when he returned from London 
to the island he pursued the same line of conduct, that 
he went to her house, and urged her to pray with him 
for deliverance, that he had the Bible under his arm, and 
that his conduct was so strange that they felt afraid of 
him ; but the result was he threw himself into the sea, 
and was drowned. 

I continued to labour, in conjunction with my friends 
in London, night and day for the salvation of sinners, 
but the chariot rolled on slowly and heavily. We left 
no means untried to arouse and awaken the thousands 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 245 

of the dead in trespasses and in sins. On the banks 
of the Camberwell canal we held a camp meeting, and 
the devil raised against us both hell and earth : the 
confederation was a powerful and united phalanx. A 
company of infidels, from Walworth's silk mills, came 
to the ground, another company joined them from the 
lime kilns, called lime-burners, whilst a third troop, 
called the coal porters, assembled : each company had 
its leader, and one had a salt box under his arm, with 
stones in it ; and while he played with the box-lid, 
and rattled the stones by way of tune, the others danced 
to the music. One of the other leaders fired a gun, and 
shouted as if a general battle was to begin ; and the third 
leader had got some pots of porter, which he offered to 
the preachers to drink. Some cried out, " Drive them 
into the canal ! " In the midst of this persecution and 
confusion my soul was roused to pray ; the people 
joined me, but the surrounding scene was terrible : an 
awful thunder storm came on, and the believers in 
Christ rose into the faith, and the powers of darkness 
began to retire, so that we finished in peace ; but the 
end of those captains of the persecuting gangs was truly 
tragical. The lime-burner, after rolling about in a state 
of drunkenness in the street, was struck with inflamma- 
tion of the brain, and in the lucid intervals of his afflic- 
tion he often fervently called for the man that had 
prayed, and for the persons whom he had persecuted at 
the camp meeting, and in a short period he died with- 
out any hope of mercy. At about the time of his death 
a wall fell on the captain of the coal porters, and dislo- 
cated his bones, and he died with an oath on his lips. 
The infidel captain, the foreman of the silk factory, who 
fired the gun, fell into great trouble, and was sold up. 
These accounts of the persecutors of God's people were 



246 LIFE OF 

verified by a letter written to me from a friend who 
lived in the neighbourhood where all these circum- 
stances occurred. 

But this was not the only instance of the vengeance 
of Heaven being displayed against impious persecutors ; 
for at another camp meeting held at Westminster, some 
time afterwards, a publican in the neighbourhood, along 
with some others of the same order, was determined to 
rout the servants of God, and they encouraged three 
desperate characters to be executors of their purpose. 
After supplying them with intoxicating liquor, they 
arrayed them so as to resemble devils coming out of 
hell : the tallest, a gigantic figure, was dressed as the 
personification of Lucifer himself, and the others, being 
more diminutive, were dressed as the effigies of the 
devil's imps ; accordingly, when a suitable opportunity 
arrived, the devil and his imps rushed out of their hell, 
(the public house,) howling with all their might. The 
camp meeting was for a time thrown into disorder, the 
women screamed, and many of the men made their 
escape ; however the preachers remained on the ground, 
remembering the old but true saying, that " God is 
above the devil." The conflict was maintained for some 
time ; the " battle hung in equal scales," the mock devils 
yelling and rushing about with their wings, large horns, 
and long tails, and the praying labourers and preachers 
singing and praising aloud. Truly this was a scene of a 
singular kind, such a one as a good artist might repre- 
sent to advantage. However, at length the little devils, 
or devil's imps, as they have been styled, began to flag ; 
they grew tired, and one after the other slunk from 
the ground to their hell, and left the great devil alone, 
surrounded by an assembly of praying, rejoicing, and 
believing souls. The battle was now fairly turned to 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 247 

the gate ; the sword of the Lord and of Gideon pre- 
vailed ; the representative of Satan was in captivity, 
imprisoned by mighty faith and prayer, and utterly con- 
founded and crest-fallen : however he was permitted to 
make his escape, and to follow his imps. But mark 
the consequences of this daring and impious conduct : 
one of these desperate characters was arrested the week 
afterwards for picking a gentleman's pocket, the other 
two were shortly afterwards apprehended for house- 
breaking ; they were all tried at the Old Bailey, one was 
executed, and the two others were transported for life. 

The time being come for the holding of the Confer- 
ence of 1825 at Sunderland, I proceeded thither to be 
present at the meeting. I found on my arrival at Sun- 
derland, that it had been published for me to preach a 
missionary sermon, which I did, and felt much sup- 
ported by the presence of the God of missions. The 
Conference commenced on the 31st of May, and ended 
on the 7th of June. Several subjects presented to Con- 
ference gave rise to much discussion, but the meeting 
appeared to have a view to the Divine will in all its 
decisions. The Conference camp meeting was uncom- 
monly powerful, and the love-feast which followed was 
very great ; many souls were born of God. From this 
meeting I went into Staffordshire, by way of Hull, to 
see my partner, who still laboured under great afflic- 
tion. From thence I went to London, and laboured, as 
before, in preaching, visiting, class leading, and other 
means, but still the work did not move with such rapi- 
dity and power as it had done in my hands in other 
places ; though we had conversions and fresh members 
added, it was not to that extent which I had witnessed. 
O God, alarm and save sinners in London ! save them 
by hundreds and thousands ! 



248 LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 

I came down to Hull again to attend the September 
quarterly meeting of 1825, and, on examination, found 
that Tadcaster was made a circuit with 143, Stockton 
with 222, and Blackburn with 225 members. I ought 
to have noticed Stockton and Blackburn circuits before, 
but overlooked them. At this period seventeen circuits 
had been made by the parent one, with 8,250 members ; 
the number which remained in the parent circuit was 
3,327, consequently the grand total at this time raised 
by the venerable and fruitful mother was 11,577. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

Journal — Cornwall — Invitation to begin a Cornish mission — Arrange- 
ments — Journey to Cornwall — Quaker passenger — Redruth — 
Attends a meeting — Trial sermon — Brother Turner — Laughing 
system — Twelve Heads — Laughing entertainment — Inward combat — 
Trial sermon — St. Austell — Powerful seasons — Reflections whilst 
lying on a rock in view of the ocean — London mission — Prayer 
answered — Love-feast in Downs' chapel — Success — Toils and pri- 
vations — Singular conversions — Mr. Wesley and John Nelson- 
Blackberries — Gloomy journey — Conversions — AVoman agonized — 
Love-feast at St. Austell — Case of a persecuting husband — Remarkable 
conversions to God — Missions, Plymouth — Millbrook — Journey to 
St. Austell — Providential assistance by a man on horseback — State 
of the Cornish mission — Arrives in London — Opens a chapel in 
Bloomsbury-square — Preaches in "Westminster — Attends London 
quarterly meeting — Prosperity in London — Review — Hull quarter- 
day board — Report of the Hull circuit — Conclusion. 

The next mission which I undertook, and the history 
of which it will be necessary for me circumstantially 
to detail, was in Cornwall. Whilst I was labouring in 
the London mission, Mr. Turner, of Redruth, in Corn- 
wall, wrote to me, giving me an account of the success 
of his labours in the conversion of sinners. He and 
his pious active partner in life had succeeded in pre- 
serving the fruit of their exertions ; but they were con- 
vinced, on several accounts, that it was expedient to 
invite the primitive Methodist missionaries into Corn- 
wall, not only to take under their effective pastoral 
superintendence the few sheep which had been gathered, 
but likewise to travel through the length and breadth 
of the land, to gather into the fold others which were 
m 3 



250 LIFE OF 

wandering on the barren and sterile mountains. In 
my correspondence with brother Turner it was agreed 
that, provided I went into Cornwall, and received the 
society into Hull circuit, the members thereof should 
conform to the principles of our connexional discipline ; 
and that if he felt an impression that it was the will of 
God he should be employed in our itinerancy, he must 
be received, according to our established rules, first as a 
member of the society, then as a local preacher on trial, 
then as an accredited one, then as a candidate for the 
itinerant work, when he would have to preach a trial 
sermon, and undergo an examination on points of 
Christian doctrine, and on his views of church disci- 
pline, &c. It was also understood that if I entered upon 
a Cornish mission, the expenses of my journey should 
be borne by the Cornish friends, as the funds of the 
Hull circuit were but low, in consequence of the many 
expensive missions it was conducting, and of the help 
it was often affording to Zion by taking under its care 
dilapidated circuits. These conditions and others being 
cheerfully approved of by the friends at the Land's 
End, I departed from Hull on the 12th of September, 
1825, to the Cornish field, and the results of my labour, 
blessed be God, are now before the Connexion and the 
world. I journeyed through Leeds to Tunstall, where 
I found my partner in life still in an afflicted condition. 
On the 18th I preached twice at Talk-o'-the-Hill : 
power divine was felt by myself and my old friends. 
On Sunday the 25th I preached at Newcastle-under- 
lyme, and a blessed influence accompanied the word. On 
the evening following I assisted at a missionary meet- 
ing at Tunstall : we had six speakers : the speeches 
were much to the purpose, as they furnished facts which 
had arisen out of the movements of the Connexion, and 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 251 

the collection was 51. On the Wednesday evening I 
heard brother W. Taylor preach with much satisfac- 
tion. On Thursday I started for the place of my desti- 
nation, and on Saturday arrived in the city of Worcester. 
As I would not travel on Sunday I preached for our 
friends in the city ; in the morning the service was free, 
and the Divine unction streamed in glorious plenitude. 
In the evening I was rather straitened, but many souls 
were deeply affected. In this city the cause of primi- 
tive Methodism had much opposition to encounter in its 
origin. Three of the first missionaries were put into 
prison, and were treated as felons, and arrayed in 
prison dresses ; but the Lord was with them, giving 
them favour in the eyes of the jailor, who gave them 
a guinea, and allowed them to preach every day to the 
other prisoners ; also the dissenting ministers, and 
other benevolent persons, greatly interested themselves 
in the situation of the preachers. When the sessions 
arrived the preachers were set at liberty, the treatment 
they had endured was declared illegal and oppressive, 
and on the day of their liberation they preached on the 
race-ground to vast multitudes of people. Great good 
was done, and a new chapel was afterwards erected* 

On the day after I had spoken in Worcester I took 
a coach for Bristol, where I arrived in the evening of 
the next day, and then started for Exeter. During 
part of the journey much rain fell, and then the weather 
was fine. One of the outside passengers was a Friend, 
or what some call a Quaker. As we journeyed he 
took from his pocket a small Bible, and began to read. 
By and by I ventured to ask him whether or not the 
book he was reading was a book of good things ? he 
replied that it was the Bible, the book of God. I 
asked him how he could prove it to be such. After a 



252 LIFE OF 

short pause he asked me if I doubted the Bible being 
the word of God? I replied, " That is not the point in 
hand." " Well," he said, " one proof of the Bible's 
being the book of God is its antiquity : it is the oldest 
book, and that point has been shown by the ablest 
historians." I then inquired if there was any other 
evidence 1 After another pause he said, " If it were 
not the word of God the writers of it would have been 
put down by their enemies, but instead of that they 
maintained their ground, and the truth was confirmed 
by signs and wonders." I then observed to him, that 
before a man reposed his eternal all upon the doctrines 
of the Bible it was certainly necessary that he should 
believe that those doctrines were sustained by the most 
irrefragable proofs ; and without desiring my fellow- 
traveller to give further evidence, I urged that if a man 
believed with all his heart that the Bible was the truth 
of God, the Lord would give him a proof of it in his 
heart ; " For he that belie veth on the Son, and the 
record concerning him, hath the witness in himself :" 
his experience of repentance, faith, and holiness, and 
the consciousness of the things of God borne in his 
understanding, are in perfect harmony with what the 
Bible contains. The representations which it makes of 
the atonement made for sin, its beauty, fulness and 
power, and the exercise of faith in that great atonement, 
showing the possibility of receiving a present, full, and 
free salvation, are truths which the Spirit has, by its 
operations in the souls of believers, fully made known ; 
hence all the ingenuity and art of scepticism cannot 
disturb the confidence of mature Christians in the 
integrity of the Divine record. The Spirit by which 
holy men of old wrote the words of life, is the same 
Spirit which testifies to their truth in the souls of the 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 253 

faithful who know, with absolute certainty, that, in 
obeying the authority of the Scriptures, they do not 
follow cunningly-devised fables ; — they know the im- 
portance of what the Lord of life and glory said in the 
words following : " Search the Scriptures ; for in them 
ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which 
testify of me." 

The conversation which followed, as we travelled, 
became very profitable, involving practical and experi- 
mental religion. My friend was exceedingly candid 
and courteous. When we arrived at our journey's end, 
he insisted on me going to his house ; but this invita- 
tion I could not accept, as I intended to take a coach 
for Truro, and travel all night : however, he would pay 
the coachman for me, and we affectionately shook hands, 
and parted. I trust to meet him in heaven, if never 
again on earth ; for I was satisfied from his demeanour, 
and the union of spirit I had with him, that he was 
one of the excellent of the earth. 

Leaving Exeter in the evening, I arrived at Truro 
at eight o'clock on the following morning. It was an 
exhausting journey. I almost perished in the night 
with cold and wet. However, without taking breakfast 
at the inn, as I feared the expense, (for it had ever been 
my practice to economise with the money raised for 
sacred purposes,) I set off again by coach to Redruth, 
where I arrived at twelve o'clock, and there dined at the 
house of Mr. Harris. In the evening the friends had 
a religious service, which they wished me to attend. I 
begged to be excused, in consequence of my exhausted 
condition ; but they importuned so perseveringly, that 
I was obliged to comply. While waiting on the Lord 
in the meeting, I felt a girding on of the Divine power ; 
the mission baptism began to flow upon me ; and I 



254 LIFE OF 

exhorted the people to enter into the inner temple, the 
holy of holies, and to approach the mercy-seat that they 
might receive the rays of glory from the Divine Shekinah. 
When the meeting concluded, I overheard the people, 
as they retired, say to each other, " He'll do ! he'll 
do!" 

On Thursday, October 6, it being arranged that 
brother Turner should preach a trial sermon, I accom- 
panied him to Wall Harmony to hear him. I found 
that he had not much notion of systematical preaching, 
yet his piety was unquestionable, and he had been useful 
in the conversion of sinners to God. There was one 
matter which excited my attention not a little ; viz., 
whilst he was preaching, he burst into a fit of laughter, 
and several of the people laughed with him. This ap- 
peared to me very strange work. After the sermon I 
gave an exhortation ; the power of the meeting increased, 
and several others began to laugh. The next day I 
spoke to brother Turner on the practice of laughing in 
public services : he told me the people never laughed 
but when they felt the Divine power, that they were 
sincere, and that their moral conduct was consistent. I 
told him that what he said might be correct, but that, 
in my opinion, to laugh in the worship of God could 
not be the most excellent way ; that strangers coming 
in, and witnessing such proceedings, would certainly 
conclude that the worshippers were very light and 
trifling ; and that, for a preacher to laugh before his 
congregation, could not be tolerated. I added, that 
people came to hear a preacher, in order to receive 
instruction, and to be led in the way of faith and sal- 
vation ; and that the subjects of preaching were of 
a grave and serious character — such as man's lost and 
miserable condition, pardoning mercy, and holiness of 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 255 

heart and life, through faith in the atonement — death 
and judgment, and heaven and hell ; and that for a 
preacher to laugh with these subjects in hand, was pre- 
posterous. Also I maintained, that if the people felt 
happy whilst the preacher was conducting the services 
of religion, they should be taught to praise God as the 
psalmist of Israel did, when he said, " Bless the Lord, 
O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy 
name." 

While conversing thus with brother Turner, he was 
convinced of the impropriety of laughing at public 
religious services ; and he engaged that he would dis- 
continue it, stating also that he believed the people 
would follow his example. The next day we went to 
a place called Twelve Heads, where I preached in a 
house beside a hill. The presence of God was with 
us ; but whilst his power was descending in a rich stream, 
laughing, dancing, and shouting began. I felt grieved, 
for I thought the people attended more to their own 
performances, than to getting sinners converted. After 
the meeting ended, a man took me over a hill, to lodge 
in his house. When I entered the house, matters had 
not that aspect of order and arrangement which I had 
seen in many places ; for the pots and pans, kettles and 
stools, brushes and spoons, knives and forks, &c, were 
scattered here and there in grand confusion. The kind 
hostess made a brief apology for the position of affairs, 
and handed me a piece of wood to put my feet upon, 
to keep them from the damp floor. She then put the 
bellows into action, and soon we had some water boiled. 
The tea was next served up without sugar, in the 
Chinese style : to this we had some bread, and a bit 
of fat pork as a substitute for butter. The contrast 
between my table then, and the one I had been lately 



256 LIFE OF 

accustomed to in London at the house of Mrs. Gar- 
diner, was considerable, yet I was far from feeling 
tried or expressing a murmur : in whatever state I was, 
I had learned to be content, and to eat and drink such 
things as were set before me. After our meal I read 
a chapter, gave an exhortation to the family, and retired 
to rest. In the morning, at breakfast, we fared sump- 
tuously ; for we had sugar and butter, and we felt 
thankful to God for these good things. 

On Sunday the 9th I led a class at seven o'clock in 
the morning, and at two o'clock I preached in the open 
air, at Redruth : the congregation was large, and well 
behaved ; and some of my hearers were convinced 
of their sinful nature and practices. In the evening I 
held a service in the house of Mr. Jenkin. Here I 
had immediately a fierce combat with the powers of 
darkness, who were permitted to assail me with tremen- 
dous fury ; however, I stood the shock ; and the sheet 
anchor of my faith preserved me from being dashed to 
pieces. 

On Monday, 10th, I spoke in a dwelling-house at 
Iilogan-highway. I felt well, and in a prayer-meet- 
ing which followed the preaching, there were persons in 
distress, though the work did not break out in the 
conversion of many of them. 

On Tuesday, 11th, I preached at St. Day's, and had 
a shaking time. The next evening I exhorted at Red- 
ruth, and heard Mr. Harris preach a trial sermon. 

On the day following I went to St. Austell, a dis- 
tance of twenty-two miles, in the neighbourhood of 
which Mr. Stephenson had a few members who had 
belonged to Mr. O'Brien. These people had two 
chapels, one at St. Austell, and the other at the Downs; 
one was built of mud, and the other of stones and mud. 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 257 

As the people wished to be placed under our wing, I 
stated the principles of our discipline, of which they 
approved. I then preached in the St. Austell chapel, 
but had not much freedom of soul ; afterwards I 
preached in the Downs' chapel, and had good liberty. I 
then held a love-feast at St. Austell : the people spoke 
freely, and expressed their joy on account of my visit. 
On Monday evening I spoke again, and the power of 
God flowed in an unbroken stream : a prayer-meeting 
followed the sermon, and, I believe, souls would have 
passed the threshold of liberty, but, being obliged to 
assist in letting the sittings in the chapel, I was pre- 
vented from continuing the meeting long enough. 

On Tuesday I opened Hambush, where backsliders 
were very numerous. On the next evening I missioned 
Biscovay, and had good liberty. Here Captain Rich 
invited me to lodge at his house, and to make it my 
future home ; for this I thanked the Lord, who gave 
me favour in the eyes of the people. I afterwards 
preached again at the Downs and Biscovay ; but I felt 
the work of digging, to get a solid foundation, to be 
very hard. 

On Saturday afternoon I walked out by the side of 
the sea for the purpose of having a little meditation. 
As I mused, the powers of darkness assailed me fu- 
riously, my mind became greatly exercised, yea, clouds 
of temptation pressed upon my soul. By and by I 
lay upon a rock, viewing the billows of the mighty 
ocean dashing upon the reefs. Here I was led to im- 
plore the immediate help of that Being who governs 
universal nature. As I prayed, while gazing on the 
vast expanse which lay before me, I was led into a 
train of thoughts about different friends, whose friend- 
ship I esteemed next to that of my God ; and I felt 



258 LIFE OF 

union of spirit with many of them. But soon my re- 
flections took another turn ; I thought of the London 
mission, and the debt with which it was charged ; and, 
being near to God, by faith, I grasped the throne, and 
prayed that he would open a way to enable us to pay 
a hundred pounds which we had borrowed of Mrs. Gar- 
diner, and that he would, after I had endured a few 
more trials and sorrows, take me to himself. I believed 
as I prayed, and arose in confidence ; and such were 
the delight and the burning feelings of my bosom, that 
I loudly invoked the mountains, the skies, and seas to 
help me to praise the great Eternal, God answered 
one part of the prayer which I offered to him on the rock, 
and I believe the other part will be answered in due 
time ; for, in a very short time, I received a letter from 
Mr. George Tetley, one of our travelling preachers in 
London, which informed me that, one day, Mrs. Gar- 
diner brought from her case the promissory note for 
£100, and that she put it into the fire as a burnt-offer- 
ing to the Lord. 

Sunday 23rd, I preached in the Downs' chapel, and 
had a precious season. As I was describing the suffer- 
ings of Christ, a thrill went through the multitude. At 
two o'clock, p. m., I officiated at St. Austell, and felt 
the priestly vestments cover my soul, as the glory 
streamed upon the mercy- seat. Prior to the evening 
service, I was requested to visit a lady of quality who 
was in distress about her soul. Whilst I prayed and 
talked, she cried for mercy, and afterwards she praised 
God aloud. The evening service was a love-feast ; the 
chapel was filled, and the experience of the speakers 
was simple, clear, and powerful. After the service, I 
had my abode with Mr. Cocking. The next day I went 
through Truro to Redruth, and preached to a large 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 259 

congregation ; but my soul was bound. Afterwards, 
we had a good time at St. Day's. Here I was kindly 
invited to sleep at the house of Mr. Dennis, who treated 
me with hospitality. I felt thankful for this opening ; 
for, after having preached at this place on a former occa- 
sion, though I was wet with sweat and greatly ex- 
hausted, I had to walk three miles to sleep, as no one 
asked me to eat, drink, or lodge, 

On the 27th I preached at the North Country house ; 
many persons could not gain entrance, but they patiently 
stood around the doors, and the word cut like a sharp 
two-edged sword. On the day following, I went to 
Twelve Heads, and preached in a house by the side of 
a hill : several of Mr. O'Brien's people were present, 
who began in the worship to laugh and dance. I was 
grieved at their conduct ; for I knew that many people, 
who had come to hear preaching, were disappointed, by 
witnessing their noise and actions ; and thus the work 
of converting sinners was set aside. At the close of 
the service, I went to sleep at a house across the hill ; 
finding it closed, I had to proceed to Redruth, with a 
wet shirt and a weary body. Such are the disappoint- 
ments and toils of a missionary's life ! 

On Sunday morning, at Redruth, I led the class ; 
in the afternoon I preached with freedom ; and, in the 
evening, the crowd that came to hear me was so great, 
that it was with difficulty I could get into the place : 
one person was convicted, and retired in deep distress. 
He sent for me and others to go to pray with him ; and 
when we arrived at his house, we found him in bed, 
much dejected. I began to talk to him ; then he arose 
and wandered about the house in the deepest agitation. 
I then began to sing ; whereupon he fell upon his 
knees and cried aloud for mercy. We instantly joined 



260 LIFE OF 

him at a throne of grace, and God loosed the bands 
of the captive exile, and let him go free. His wife 
perceiving what was done, kneeled upon the stairs : 
we cried to God on her behalf too, and he set her soul 
at liberty. She arose suddenly, and exclaimed, "lam 
now born again, I am bom again." A neighbour, hear- 
ing the noise, ran into the house, and the power of the 
Highest arrested her also : she kneeled down to pray, 
and found salvation : — then a second person came into 
the house, and was convinced, and prayer was conti- 
nued in her behalf ; but I was necessitated to retire, 
and leave the people working like wrestling Jacobs. 

On Monday, 31st, I preached in another part of 
Redruth, and some of the vilest of the vile were alarmed 
by a sense of their danger. One woman, sixty-four 
years of age, was thrown into the greatest agony, in 
consequence of her sins being set in battle array against 
her ; but, being taught the way of faith, she was enabled 
to believe — then she sang, " Once I was blind, but 
now I see." — Also a young woman was seized with 
the divine power, and she cried vehemently for God to 
heal her backslidings. After pleading for some time, 
God answered her prayer, and made her happy in the 
assurance that her sins were forgiven : we concluded 
our meeting about ten o'clock in the morning. I had 
expected that, after labouring, I should receive an invi- 
tation to dine at a certain house ; but I was disappointed ; 
so I went to the top of Charn Bray Rock, and poured 
out my soul to God in prayer. I thought of what Mr. 
Wesley had said to John Nelson, when they were in 
Cornwall ; viz., that it was an excellent country to get 
an appetite, but not so excellent to get something to 
eat. They did, however, get a few r blackberries ; and 
I looked about to see if I could get some, but being 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 261 

unable to find more than one, which was unripe, I was 
obliged to make my dinner of it. 

On Tuesday, Nov. 1st, I preached again at Redruth, 
and had freedom of soul. While I was family visiting, 
one woman cried out, with vehemence, " Oh, what a 
great sinner I have been !" On inquiry, I learned that 
she had been a notorious sinner ; but God, who is rich 
in mercy, and delights to save the chief of sinners, saved 
her, and her ecstasy was remarkable. In the evening 
I was at St. Day's, and had, as usual, a goodly com- 
pany who heard with attention, whilst I published sal- 
vation. When I had concluded the meeting, I went to 
a cottage, at which I had slept before, thinking that I 
should find an asylum ; but the devil had been busy, 
and the house was closed. I felt perplexed ; for the 
night was stormy, it rained heavily, my shirt was wet, 
and I was much fatigued. Bless God, however, from 
pity to me, a man said I might have half a bed with 
him. I felt really glad for this noble offer, and readily 
accepted it. 

On the next day I went to the North Country house, 
and, in my public duty, I felt the presence of God. 
One young woman, with whom I had been conversing 
on matters relating to her soul, became strongly affected : 
I inwardly implored the Almighty to deepen his work 
of conviction in her heart: presently she fell down, 
and, in an agony of distress, cried to the Lord to save 
her. I then explained to her the way of faith, asserting 
that it was the assent of the mind to the testimony of 
God — the consent of the will — a simple trust in Jesus 
Christ for immediate pardon. She rested her soul on 
the Great Atonement by faith, and received the justi- 
fication of her person. The internal evidence of her 
justification, being imparted to her conscience by the 



262 LIFE OF 

direct witness of the Holy Spirit of God, her joy was 
great ; and she expressed to those around her what she 
had obtained, and how others might just then have the 
same blessing. 

Saturday, October the 5th, I went to Breaze, about 
ten miles from Redruth, intending to preach there on 
the sabbath. On my journey I was drenched with 
rain. I arrived about dusk in the evening, and was 
directed to a house standing alone in a vale ; the 
scenery around which was sterile and barren, presented 
a very gloomy aspect. Also the tin miners were at work, 
and the noise of the water-wheels, which broke on my 
ears ias I pursued my way along the rugged pathways, 
added to the melancholy of my walk. On arriving at 
the place of my destination I had to ascend a flight of 
stone steps, which ran up the outside of a building into 
a chamber covering some stables. There was not any 
person in the chamber, and other matters did not pre- 
sent the most inviting aspect. The fire was nearly out, 
and I was cold and weary : however, in a short time, 
a woman came up into the room, and said that she 
would bring up some cherks for the fire ; accordingly 
she brought up some cinders, or burnt coal. By and 
by a little warmth was felt in the room, and afterwards 
a little water was boiled for the tea, and my spirits 
began to revive. On entering this place, being ex- 
hausted, tempted by the devil, and oppressed with 
the monotonous gloom of the country, I felt as if I 
were near the gates of hell. About a mile distant I 
preached the next morning to a crowded house ; God 
stood by me, and one sinner was convinced of sin. At 
night I preached again, and led a love-feast. Here 
brother Turner had a few members in society, and a 
small mud chapel. I retired to my old lodging, (the 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 263 

road was very difficult for a stranger,) and had for 
supper a little tea and a piece of bread, for which I felt 
grateful, knowing that I was welcome to what the dear 
people could spare. " Praise the Lord from whom all 
blessings flow," &c. 

On Monday I travelled to Illogan, and spoke, in the 
name of the Lord, to a vast assembly. On the evening 
following I spoke at Redruth, where we had a cry for 
mercy, and three souls found " peace with God, through 
our Lord Jesus Christ." On Wednesday, after break- 
fasting at the house of Mr. Paster, a neighbour sent for 
me to speak about religion, and to pray with her. I 
went to her house, and God heard our cries, and be- 
stowed liberty on the captive. Another neighbour, 
having come into the house to inquire what was amiss, 
was arrested, and on prayer being offered on her behalf, 
God took away her chain also. One of them said, " I 
am now born again ;" the other said, " I never thought 
I should have been saved so soon. Now I shall go 
to heaven. I believe : I do believe." Thus they pro- 
ceeded for some time. Soon two other persons entered 
the dwelling, and they likewise became alarmed about 
their danger ; and having kneeled down to pray, their 
convictions deepened, and their distress increased, yet 
they did not that evening obtain the assurance that 
their sins were forgiven. 

On Thursday, the 10th, I was again at the North 
Country house, and had a gracious season in preaching. 
One woman cried aloud, " I am going to hell !" then 
she cried for mercy with all her might, and soon ano- 
ther cried out in a similar manner ; and such was the 
agony of the latter that she appeared as if she would 
tear herself to pieces. I exhorted them to believe for 
salvation immediately ; and God put forth his hand to 



264 LIFE OF 

save them, and having said, " Peace, be still," there 
was a calm. 

On Sunday, the 13th, I spoke at the Downs in the 
morning and evening, and at St. Austell in the afternoon, 
and at both the places visible good was accomplished. 

On Monday evening, at St. Austell, many were dis- 
solved in tears, and the work moved forward. 

On Tuesday, at Hambush, I preached to a small 
congregation, and on Wednesday evening to an over- 
whelming multitude at the Downs, where the Lord God 
of hosts was powerfully present. On Thursday I spoke 
with freedom at Biscovay, but the place seemed im- 
penetrable. On Friday I should have preached at St. 
Blazey, but the devil stepped in and shut me out. 

On Sunday, the 30th, my labours were divided 
betwixt the Downs and St. Austell, where I renewed the 
tickets to the societies. At the former place there were 
twenty members, the quarter's increase being six : at the 
latter there were twenty-four, the quarter's increase 
being eight. I spoke again to the Downs' congrega- 
tion, and one person prayed for pardoning mercy. I 
visited her afterwards, and she was encouraged to be- 
lieve in the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of 
the world. 

On Thursday, November the 24th, I journeyed to- 
wards Redruth, but was prevented from reaching the 
town till the next day, in consequence of the floods. 

On Sunday, the 27th, I preached at the North Country 
house, and after there had been some crying for the 
mercy of the Lord of life and glory, two persons pro- 
fessed to receive the pearl of great price. Here I re- 
newed the Society's tickets to twenty members. At 
Redruth I preached, and gave quarterly tickets to 
thirty-four members. 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 265 

On Monday, the 28th, I preached at Loggen High- 
way, and gave tickets to a class of eighteen members, 
and the Lord was in the midst of us. Afterwards I 
preached at Redruth : the congregation was too large 
for the place, and I had a blessed time. 

On Wednesday, at St. Day's, I preached to a large 
company, and one person entered our ranks. 

On December the 1st, 1825, 1 preached at the North 
Country House, where, as the night was wet, we had 
but a slender company, yet by waiting on the Lord we 
renewed our strength. 

On Friday, the 2nd, I spoke at Twelve Heads, and 
gave quarterly tickets to a class of eight members. This 
place was not remarkable for either worldly or divine 
affluence. I made a collection, which amounted to 
fourpence-halfpenny, and then had to walk to Redruth 
to get a night's lodging and something to eat. 

On Sunday, the 4th, I travelled ten miles to Breeze, 
and preached to two large congregations and gave 
tickets to about twenty members. On Monday I 
walked to Redruth in a heavy rain, and having changed 
my clothes I went to Cockle-street and preached. Many 
persons were blessed, some of whom laughed aloud. 
This laughing practice still continues, though I believe 
it is on the decline. 

On Tuesday the 6th, I preached at Folgay's ; after- 
wards at St. Day's, and at the North Country house, 
and I had general success. 

On Sunday, the 11th, I divided my labours as 
usual between the Downs and St. Austell, and deep 
impressions were made on many hearts. On Monday 
I was at St. Austell, on Tuesday at Hambush, and on 
Wednesday at the Downs. At the last place two souls 
were brought through the narrow gate of being born 



266 LIFE OF 

again. The two following evenings were devoted to 
Biscovay and St. Blazey, and on the Saturday I mis- 
sioned Tragarrick, and had a powerful service. 

On Sunday the 18th, I appropriated my labours to 
Downs and St. Austell : at the latter place I led a love- 
feast, and was interested with the statement of one 
woman who had received pardoning mercy on the Wed- 
nesday night previous at the Downs chapel. Being 
under religious impressions she determined to go to the 
preaching, but her husband opposed this determination 
in a violent manner, threatening that if she went she 
should be locked out, and that other consequences 
should follow ; but she was firm, and when she was 
ready to depart he rose up much infuriated, and thrust 
her out of the house, and then locked the door. How- 
ever, she proceeded to the chapel, where she cried for 
mercy, and God set her soul at liberty. The devil 
tempted her much on her way homeward about the fury 
of her husband, but, to her astonishment, when she 
reached the door of her house, she found that it was 
unlocked, and that her husband, who had been in bed, 
had been so restless and uneasy that he had come down 
the stairs and had prepared some boiling water, with 
which to make her some tea, on her return from the 
house of God. Thus God turned the lion into a lamb. 

On Monday, the 17th, I preached at St. Austell: the 
converting power was great : one person was set at 
liberty, like a bird from the snare of the fowler. Another, 
when she arrived at home, exhorted her sister to turn 
to God, and the sister then cried aloud for Jesus to save 
her. The noise of the praying awoke part of the family 
in bed ; then another sister arose and cried for mercy ; 
then the mother, hearing the cries of her daughters, 
came down the stairs and fell upon her knees to weep 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 267 

and pray. One of the sisters got liberty that night ; 
and in the morning I called at the house, and prayed 
with the mother, and God, who is rich in mercy, blessed 
her with the forgiveness of her sins. Another woman, 
in the next house, hearing us pray came to us, and 
said, from that time she was determined to serve God. 
In the evening I preached at the Downs, and joined 
seven persons to the society. After the preaching ser- 
vice, one man went home in such a state of agony, that 
he could find no rest for the soles of his feet. As it 
had been arranged that I should visit the town of Ply- 
mouth, for the purpose of missioning it, I set off on 
Thursday, December 22nd ; and on Sunday, 25th, I 
preached three times in Plymouth. I did not feel much 
liberty, yet I trust good was done. I was kindly 
received by Mr. Legs. 

On the next day I crossed a water, and went a distance 
of five miles to preach at Milbrook. The water being 
rough, and the boat overloaded with passengers, our pass- 
age became very dangerous, and several of the people 
became much alarmed. The boatmen charged the passen- 
gers to keep their places, or else the boat would be upset. 
Through mercy, we arrived safely on the opposite shore. 

I preached in the evening to a large congregation, 
and was in my full glory. I afterwards spoke with 
'iberty at another place, the name of which I have for- 
gotten. The aspect of things in this part of the vine- 
yard was tolerably encouraging. May God arise and 
maintain his cause ! 

I started next towards St. Austell. I rode six miles 
on a mail-coach, but as it could take me no further, I 
proceeded on foot. After having walked eighteen miles, 
I felt weary — night was approaching, and I had fifteen 
miles further to go over an extensive common. By 
n 2 



268 LIFE OF 

these considerations I became embarrassed, and began 
to despair of reaching my journey's end. Whilst in 
this condition, praying that God would help me, a man 
on horseback suddenly overtook me ; and, after saluting 
me, he asked if I would have a ride, saying that he 
was tired with riding. I replied, " I shall be very glad ; 
for I am tired with walking." He then dismounted, 
and I rode. After we had proceeded several miles, I 
urged him to ride again ; but he refused, and said he 
would walk to the place of our destination ; therefore, 
I rode all the fifteen miles. I regarded this circum- 
stance as a special interposition of Providence, when I 
was in an extremity. As we journeyed, I talked to the 
man about the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. 
He was a stranger to the religion of the heart ; but he 
had a desire to know the way of the Lord, and, I trust, 
the remarks I addressed to him were not in vain. 

The night following, I spoke at the Downs, and I 
was glad to find that the work prospered, and that souls 
had been added to our society. 

On the last day of 1825, I was at Redruth, where 
I held a watch-meeting ; and, on the 1st of January, 
1826, I preached at the North Country house. In 
going to the latter place, I got very wet ; but the service 
was reviving to body and soul. I dined at one of our 
friend's houses, where eight persons sat down to dinner ; 
and, for the use of these there were but two knives and 
one fork. We had, however, plenty to eat, and I was 
delighted with the affection and kindness of the people ; 
they treated me as if I had been a prince. In the 
evening I preached at Redruth, and the place was too 
strait for us. On the three subsequent evenings I 
preached at St. Day's, Folgays, and the North Country 
house ; and on Sunday at the Downs and St. Austell. 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 269 

On Wednesday evening, I aided in holding a watch* 
meeting in Downs chapel ; one individual was over* 
whelmed with a sense of the Divine glory, and many 
others felt the burning unction to flow into their hearts. 
Glory to Jesus ! I next preached in succession, and 
with increasing influence and success, at St. Blazey, 
St. Austell, Folgus, the Downs, Redruth, North Country 
house, Biscovay, and at other places. Conversions to 
God frequently took place, and, at the principal places, 
the congregations increased rapidly. I frequently ad- 
dressed large multitudes in the open air, and pushed 
on ministerial family visiting. 

On Monday, February 24, I attended our preparatory 
quarterly-meeting at Redruth, when the number of 
members in the mission was reported to be 235. Also, 
our financial affairs were good ; for we had received 
nothing from Hull quarterly meeting, either for salaries 
or travelling expenses. 

On Tuesday, I left Redruth to come to Hull, and 
stopped all night at Truro. On the following day, I 
arrived in Exeter, and on the following, I started to 
London, where, by travelling all the day and all the 
following night, I arrived at about six o'clock in the 
morning. I was glad to salute my old friends again 
in the city, and to administer the word of life once 
more in Snowfields and Shadwell. 

On Sunday, March 5th, I assisted brother J. Nel- 
son and George Tetley to open a chapel, which our 
people had taken in Bloomsbury-square ; and in the 
evening of that day I preached at Westminster, and 
God was with us in truth. 

I had the pleasure of attending the London circuit's 
quarterly meeting, (for London had been made a circuit 
by the December quarterly meeting of Hull circuit ;) it 



270 LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 

was a peaceable meeting, and the circuit's funds were 
sufficient to meet all demands. How different matters 
had become in London, from what they were when I 
entered into it, and found it on the brink of ruin ! 
From London I came to Hull, and the brethren were 
glad to see me return from the privations and difficul- 
ties of the Cornish mission. Our quarterly meeting 
was satisfactory, all the claims upon the circuit were 
met, and the brethren felt encouraged to go forward in 
the work of saving souls. 

At this meeting, March 1826. it was ascertained, that 
from the fruitful mother, Hull, twenty-one circuits had 
been made, with 8,455 members ; and that with the 
venerable parent, there remained 3,541 ; consequently, 
from January 12, 1819, the day when I began the Hull 
mission, a period of seven years and two months, the 
Hull circuit alone had raised up in the Primitive Metho- 
dist Connexion 11,996 souls! Hosannah ! Hosannah ! 
The retrospect of these things fills my soul with adoring 
thankfulness, and the anticipation of the future — that 
we shall yet see greater things, fires my powers with 
increasing ardour in the cause of Christ. 

"Ebenezer — Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

Visits Tunstall and Ramsor — Opens a chapel at Alton — A stone thrown 
through Congleton Chapel window— Remarks on replying to the 
minister — Anniversaries at Burslem, Manchester, and Newcastle 
under-Lyme — Souls saved — Preaches in a malt-house — Souls in 
distress — Crowded chapel, door taken off — Converses with a lady of 
wealth — Importance of getting safely out of a great house — A glo- 
rious cry — Attends Nottingham Conference, entertained by a Wes- 
leyan — Re-opens Belper Chapel — Spiritual children — Painful part- 
ing — Hull quarterly meeting — Darlington made a circuit — Stationed 
in Hull Home Branch— Afflicted — Follows a physician's advice with- 
out benefit— Consults Dr. Turnbull — The Doctor's kindness — Re- 
covers — Attends quarterly meeting- — 598 increase — District meeting 
at Scotter — Manchester Conference — Sinners converted — Death of 
Mr. James Steele, one of the founders of the Connexion — Preaches 
his funeral sermon at Tunstall — Remarks on Mr. Steele — Remark- 
able answers to prayer — Two predictions accomplished. 

On March 26, 1826, I commenced my labours in Tun- 
stall once more, by holding a love-feast in our chapel 
at two o*clock in the afternoon. A very large congre- 
gation assembled ; the speaking in the meeting was 
powerful ; the spiritual banquet was truly great and 
good. In the evening I preached about death on the 
pale horse ; the chapel was crowded, and the saints of 
God rejoiced, whilst Jesus sat as a king in his army, 
and as one that comforteth mourners. On the Wed- 
nesday evening following I spoke again, but I had not 
my usual liberty. How strange is this ! the great day 
however will explain all that now appears singular and 
inexplicable. 

On April 1st, I went to see my old friends at Ram- 
sor and Norton ; we were glad to see each other, for 



272 LIFE OF 

seven years had rolled away since we had had the op- 
portunity of doing this before. Ramsor is a place I never 
can forget : I was at the first camp-meeting which was 
held there, and there I ventured to preach from a text 
of Scripture, though I had exhorted there long before. 

April 2, I went to Alton, about two miles from Ram- 
sor, to open a new chapel. I had the honour of first 
missioning this place, and I felt a pleasure in now seeing 
what God had wrought. I preached in the afternooon 
and evening, and in the latter service, my soul was 
powerfully baptized from above, and many of my old 
friends, and some of my spiritual children from a dis- 
tance, once more rejoiced with me in the Lord. In the 
infancy of our cause, the people around this part were 
remarkably hardened, but God's word, by our preach- 
ing, proved a hammer which brake the rocks in pieces. 
From the chapel-opening services I returned to sleep at 
Ramsor, in order to be nearer my appointment the 
next day at Biddulph Moor, a distance, I think, of 
twenty miles. When I arrived at Richard Bailey's, 
where I had to preach, I was much exhausted ; but, 
thank God, the house was filled, and many could not 
gain admittance. 

On Tuesday, I went to the " Cloud," where I spoke 
to many people, the Lord being present. I returned 
after service to Biddulph Moor, as the next morning I 
had to hold a meeting, at which good was done. 

On Wednesday, I journeyed to Congleton, distant about 
four miles, and preached at seven o'clock in the evening 
to a full chapel. Many friends came up from various 
places, and enemies came likewise, for some one threw 
a stone through the chapel window ; this did not how- 
ever prevent us from rejoicing in God our Saviour, and 
feeling his glorious presence in the midst of us. 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 273 

The next day, I proceeded to Sandbach, and preached 
to a full house, the Great Master being present accord-* 
ing to his promise ; a woman, however, disturbed the 
meeting by replying to what I said while preaching. I 
once thought of wishing her to desist, but I forbore, 
fearing I should grieve some minds. On Friday I 
spoke at Hassall Green, to a large assembly, but here I 
was tried by a man replying to my preaching. I felt 
a conviction that this practice was out of order, and 
tended to injury. To be benefited by the preaching of 
the gospel, God's own institution, the message of mercy 
delivered should be attentively listened to, in the exer- 
cise of faith. If there be any that are alarmed under 
the word, and convinced of sin, and who cry out for 
mercy, this is a very different matter. Or if in a 
preaching service the glory of God comes down, and 
the people are made happy, a response of praise to God 
may be in character ; but the practice of talking and 
replying whilst the preacher is speaking, cannot answer 
a useful purpose. 

On Sunday, at Burslem, I preached two anniversary 
sermons, and the congregations were great, but I was 
not at full liberty. I trust, however, good was done. 
The collection exceeded the amount expected, as trade 
was low in the Potteries. 

On Tuesday, I spoke at Pitt's Hill, where I had a 
full place, and a good time ; and on Wednesday, at Tun - 
stall, where the Lord was present ; and at Norton on 
Thursday, where the work appeared low, we had, not- 
withstanding, a refreshing time. 

On Sunday, the 16th, I was engaged at anniversary 
services in Manchester, and on the Monday evening, 
whilst preaching, we had a cry for mercy, and two souls 
found the Lord. 

n 3 



274 LIFE OF 

On Tuesday, the 18th, I was at Talk-o'-th'-hill, and 
at this place of our early labour, the Lord blessed us, 
as he had many times before. 

On Sunday, the 23rd, I preached anniversary ser- 
mons, with liberty and satisfaction, for the sabbath 
school at Newcastle-under-Lyme. The collection was 
good, considering the state of trade, and it met the de- 
mands made on the school. 

On Monday, the 24th, we had a glorious time at 
Englesea Brook, in Mr. Seymour's malt-house, the 
place where our preaching services were usually held 
being far too small to accommodate the congregation, 
and we had some souls in distress. The next night I 
preached at Wrine Hill ; the chapel was so crowded 
that the friends took off the door, and it was with some 
difficulty that I could reach the pulpit. I had full liberty 
here ; the glory was great, and the shouts of praise and 
thanksgiving were loud and general among the people. 
The next night I spoke at Newcastle, where the work 
was low, but I trusted the Lord would revive it. 

On Sunday, April 30th, I was at Macclesfield, where 
I preached twice, and on Monday evening I preached 
again, when many were deeply affected, and I trust the 
impressions will continue. I lodged here at the house 

of Miss P , a lady of wealth. Many years since 

when I used to go to see Mr. Berrisford on religious 
accounts, this lady was very friendly to revivals, but 
as I was now afraid that she did not possess the spirit of 
humility which she possessed in former times, I told her 
my views on her case, and felt a measure of thankful- 
ness to God, that he enabled me to speak plainly and 
faithfully. It is a mercy when a preacher gets safely 
out of a great house. 

Sunday, May 7th, I preached to many people in a 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 275 

farm-house at White Hill, near Kidsgrove. We had a 
glorious cry for divine help, and one soul received the 
blessing of a clean heart. 

As it was now about the time for the holding of the 
Conference at Nottingham, I proceeded thither. The sit- 
tings began on May 16, and ended May 25, 1826. 
My lodgings were at the house of Mr. Wilson, a Wes- 
leyan ; I was very comfortable with this excellent 
family ; in our devotions we had precious visits from 
heaven, and the remembrance of them is sweet. 

Before I attended the Conference, our Belper friends 
had desired me to re-open their chapel on the Conference 
Sunday ; I had complied with their wish, and the ser- 
vices were published ; but in the mean time, our friends 
at Nottingham had made arrangements for me to preach 
their missionary sermons on the same Sunday. This 
clashing of the services produced much discussion in the 
Conference, neither party wishing to give me up to the 
other. At last it was decided that as I had promised 
the Belper friends at a time when I did not know that 
the Nottingham brethren had published for me, it was 
right that I should go to Belper ; and to meet the Not- 
tingham case, it was decided that on Sunday the cir- 
cumstances of the case should be stated to the people, 
and that it should be announced for me to preach on a 
week evening. This arrangement was carried out. 

George Tetley accompanied me to Belper, and as I 
drew near the chapel crowds saluted me, in which were 
many of my children in the Lord. As I proceeded 
through the crowd to the chapel, one whispering to me, 
said, " Now give us a good ranter's sermon this morn- 
ing ;" but, without replying, I proceeded to the pul- 
pit. The chapel was overflowing, and I was blessed 
with full liberty. I soon perceived the tears flowing 



276 LIFE OF 

from the eyes of the person who wanted a good " ran- 
ter's sermon." Many were deeply affected under the 
word, and God made bare his holy arm. Brother 
Tetley preached in the afternoon, and I again in the 
evening, and much good was done ; it was a high day 
to many souls. The next day we departed for Not- 
tingham, and Oh ! the parting was painful. 

The different religious services held at Nottingham 
every morning and evening during the sittings of Con- 
ference were much owned of God. 

After the Conference I proceeded to Hull to attend 
the June quarterly meeting of 1826; we had a very 
agreeable meeting, and sufficient funds to discharge our 
demands. Darlington, at this quarterly meeting, was 
made a circuit, with 274 members ; leaving with the 
parent 3,338. 

The meeting stationed me at Hull, the home branch, 
and Brothers G. Tetley, R. Woodhall, and Mary Burks 
with me. We laboured agreeably together through 
the quarter, but I regret that I cannot furnish particu- 
lars, as I lost a part of my journal relating to this 
period, and thence up to February 5, 1827, when I was 
attacked with an affliction which greatly reduced me. 
This affliction began with occasional giddiness ; and on 
one occasion, while going to an appointment in company 
with Brother Tetley, whose appointment lay in the same 
direction as mine, I was suddenly seized, and should 
have fallen to the ground, had not Brother T. saved me. 
Having lain awhile on the grass I recovered a little, and 
proceeded, but was unable to fulfil my appointment. 
My affliction increasing in the symptom already noticed, 
accompanied with a partial loss of sight, I consulted a 
physician, who ordered me to be profusely bled, and to 
use a low diet. I lived according to his prescription 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 277 

for some time, but without any improvement in my 
health ; therefore, through the advice of friends, I con- 
sulted Dr. Turnbull, of Hull, and his method of treat- 
ment was quite the reverse of his brother physician's. 
He told me, by all means, never to be bled, but to live 
exceedingly well ; to eat mutton chops to breakfast, and 
beef steaks to dinner, and to have nothing to do with 
slops, &c. His medicines, however, reduced me much, 
being of a very powerful nature, and I consequently 
complained to him. He replied, that as my complaint 
was a liver one, it was necessary to act by strong medi- 
cines to get a passage through the liver. However, he 
found me much weaker than he expected. The kind- 
ness and attention of this doctor to me were truly great ; 
he charged me nothing for his trouble, and he desired 
me, if ever I was ill again, to write to him, if I hap-* 
pened to be in any other part of the kingdom than 
Hull, assuring me that he would feel a pleasure in af- 
fording me all the assistance in his power. I slowly 
recovered, and was able to attend the March quarterly 
meeting of 1827. This was a very comfortable meeting ; 
we had funds to enable us to go on with the good work, 
and an increase of 598 members in the Circuit. 

Accompanied by brother Suddards, I went to the 
Hull district meeting, held at Scotter, in Lincolnshire 
(1827). This was a very pleasant meeting, accompa- 
nied with gracious visits from on high. At the mis- 
sionary meeting, brother H. Bourne pressed me to 
stand up on the platform, if I could do no more. I 
complied, and spoke a few minutes ; and the glory of 
God rose in the meeting. The delegates from the dif- 
ferent circuits spoke well, so that it was really good to 
be there. 

The time for holding the Manchester conference of 



278 LIFE OF 

1827 being at hand, 1 went to Manchester, and lodged, 
during my stay there, at the house of Mr. Smith, in 
Newton-street. The Lord rendered my services a 
blessing to his family ; for several of its members after- 
wards joined our society. During the sittings of the 
conference there turned up several things which occa- 
sioned exercise of mind ; yet we had some tokens of 
the Divine approbation ; some sinners were converted, 
and the work was revived. I was, however, exonerated 
from preaching in consequence of my indisposition. 
Had I been able, I should have said something by way 
of improving the death of Mr. James Steele, one of the 
founders of the Primitive Methodist Connexion, who 
had departed this life, and had been buried the Sunday 
before the conference. However, it devolved on Mr. 
H. Bourne and Mr. T. King to preach on the occasion 
at Manchester. On my arrival at Tunstal], I improved 
the death of Mr. Steele by preaching a sermon from 
2 Peter i. 10, 11. Whilst I was discharging this pain- 
ful duty God was near at hand, and a blessed influence 
rested upon those who heard me. 

I will now break the thread of my journal to intro- 
duce to the reader's notice a few particulars of Mr. 
Steele, who was, in his day, great in the sight of the 
Lord — one of the excellent of the earth. About twenty 
minutes before he exchanged mortality for life eternal, I 
went to see him, along with Mr. H. Bourne ; he was then 
very weak, but was dressed and sitting in a chair. He 
entered very freely into conversation respecting the work 
of the Lord; among other particulars, he asked me 
what success I had had in the visitation of the classes 
in Tunstall on the Monday evening. I told him that 
many people had attended — and that we had had a good 
meeting. He said, he believed the work of the Lord 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 



279 



was rising. Brother Bourne then asked him if his 
faith stood firm ; and he replied, in the words of the 
psalmist, " I will not forsake thee when thy strength 
faileth :" adding, " For forty years I have been in the 
faith, and never once gave it up. It is true I have many 
times been hard put to it ; but I never yielded. I never 
saw so clearly into the nature of faith as I did when 
Clowes was praying with me the other day." During 
the time of his short illness, I had frequent opportuni- 
ties of visiting him ; and glad I was ; for I was aware 
he would soon pass over Jordan. On one occasion, 
when I visited him, I thought of omitting prayer, in 
consequence of his exhaustion ; but, on my telling him 
my purpose, he said, " I shall never be tired of your 
prayers." At another time, I was praying with him in 
his parlour, when one of the family, unfriendly to prayer, 
came in, and behaved very rudely, moving about the 
room, and opening drawers to our disturbance. In con- 
sequence of this annoyance I arose from my knees, and 
was about to cease pleading with God ; but the dying 
man, determined to enjoy our devotion, exclaimed, — 
" Proceed — proceed." On another occasion, when we 
were at prayer, the Lord was very near ; and Mr. Steele 
rejoiced greatly, and afterwards said, " What a mercy 
that the Lord corrects his people in his judgment, and 
not in his anger, lest he should bring them to nothing." 
At this time, I thought he wished to tell me certain of 
the family troubles with which he had been much exer- 
cised, and which I believe tended to reduce the number 
of his days on earth. Few persons, however, yielded 
greater support to religion in the trials of life than he 
did. During his Christian course, he was strong in 
faith, and had a deep insight into the ways of Provi- 
dence and grace. The following instances are illustra- 



280 LIFE OF 

tive of this statement : — Mr. Smith, of Tunstall, fell ill, 
and was likely to die ; but Mr. Steele being convinced 
that he was unprepared for heaven, pleaded with the 
Lord to spare his life a little longer. As Mr. Steele 
prayed, it was impressed on his mind that Mr. Smith 
should have two years added to his life. He therefore 
went to Mr. Smith, and told him that he had obtained 
for him a reprieve for two years, and that he must im- 
prove them in obtaining a readiness for his departure. 
This answer to prayer proved to be correct, for at the 
end of the two years Mr. Smith died, and his friends 
hoped that he died in the Lord. 

Another instance was as follows : — Mary Lowns, of 
Tunstall, who was near her confinement, was thrown 
into such violent fits, that her life was despaired of ; 
the doctor had given her up as beyond recovery. Her 
sister, who was pious, desired that Mr. Steele should be 
sent for, that a trial might be made of the power of his 
faith and prayers for the afflicted woman; but the 
other relatives thought his coming would be of no avail. 
At last, however, Mr. Steele was brought to see the 
dying woman. When he arrived he took a seat, and 
waited silently on the Lord for awhile ; and then said, 
"Let us now pray." He prayed and agonized in the 
Spirit with strong cries and holy importunity ; and God 
heard his faithful servant, and granted him the desire of 
his heart — the recovery of the woman. Before Mr. 
Steele left the house, he told the family that the woman 
would live, and that she would never have another fit. 
And his prediction was verified ; the woman lived many 
years after this occurrence, she never had another fit, 
and finally she died happy in the Lord. I have seen 
Mary Lowns myself, and heard her say with tears of 
joy running down her face, that Mr. Steele's prayers 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 281 

saved her, that his faith triumphed in the cloudy and 
dark day. 

Mr. Steele was an intellectual man, having read much, 
and acquired extensive information. He was one of the 
best class leaders that I ever knew. Many overwhelmed 
with trouble and spiritual distress, have, by his counsels 
and the power of his faith, suddenly entered into the 
liberty of Christ. God honoured him at the last ; for 
he died in peace, aged sixty years ; and his works of 
faith, labours of love, and patience of hope, form a 
monumental column to his memory, which will remain 
imperishable. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Opens Warrington chapel — Remarks on former times— Malton Sunday- 
school anniversary — Hull quarterly-meeting — New arrangement suc- 
cessful — March quarterly-meeting — Increase — Arranges for a new 
trust-deed at Old Hill, and then opens the chapel — Missionary ser- 
vices — Bradford district meeting — Stockport chapel opening — Mellor 
Moor End Anniversary — Tunstall Conference — Huli quarterly 
meeting — Redruth made a circuit — Darlington missionary services — 
A tour in Alston branch — Opens new chapels — Family visiting with 
Mr. Flesher — Preaches in a church at Whitehaven — Singular mis- 
hap — Isle-of-Man missionary services — Visits his afflicted wife — 
Opens Hognaston chapel — Errors on faith successfully corrected — 
Leeds anniversary — Missionary services in the north — Glory of God 
at the tea-table — Hull quarterly meeting — Missionary tour — Drif- 
field Branch — Leeds district meeting — Scotter Conference — Mr. H. 
Bourne's sentiment — American missions. 

In resuming the thread of my journal, 1 may observe, 
that being engaged to assist at the opening services of a 
new chapel in Warrington, I proceeded thither, and 
preached morning and evening ; and Mr. J. Bourne in 
the afternoon. The services were all well attended on 
the Sabbath, and also on Monday evening, when Dr. 
Raffles, from Liverpool, preached. In this town, at 
the beginning of my mission, persecution's tide ran high 
here. Justice L — n interrupted me and took away my 
licence ; but now we have at the place a new chapel, 
and a society, so that both the devil and the L — n have 
hitherto failed to drive us out of it. I was glad to meet 
with several old friends at Warrington, such as Mrs. 
Shaw, Mrs. Richardson, and her son Daniel, and others. 
Mrs. R., of whom mention is made in a former part of 



LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 283 

my journal, was among the first fruits of our mission- 
ary labours at Warrington. When at the chapel open- 
ing, I lodged at the house of Mr. Thomas Eaton, where 
I had often been sheltered in former times. The friend- 
ship of Mr. Eaton's family I have ever esteemed ; and 
right glad I was to find that he and his house continued 
serving the God of their fathers. O ! I trust, after a 
few more tempests shall have spent their fury, we shall 
sit down together to banquet in the house not made 
with hands, eternal in the heavens. 

After travelling to Tunstall, I came to Hull, and then 
went to the town of Scarborough, to aid in holding a 
missionary meeting ; we had a crowded chapel, good 
speaking, and a good collection. I preached on the 
Wednesday evening, and had a melting time. I next 
went on to Snainton and preached in our chapel, which 
is commodious and very different from the old barn 
which I occupied when I first set my feet in the village. 
I here spent about a week with brother Abey ; and in 
occasionally visiting and praying with families, I felt 
happy. 

Accompanied with brother Abey, I went to Malton 
to preach anniversary sermons for the Sunday-school, 
and had a very successful time. I next went to Ack- 
lam to spend a little time with brother Coultas, with 
whom I had many precious seasons in prayer. 1 found 
him to be a man that had much power with God. On 
leaving Acklam, I came to Hull to attend the Decem- 
ber quarterly meeting of 1827, and a comfortable meet- 
ing we had. At this meeting, liberty was given me to 
reside at either Tunstall or Hull till my health should 
be fully restored, with the understanding that if any 
Circuit applied for me to preach a few sermons, it 
should pay my salary for the time I laboured in it. In- 



284 LIFE OF 

deed, it was thought by the brethren that I should be 
more useful with a commission of this nature than being 
confined to a circuit. Accordingly I visited many parts 
of the Connexion, had many blessed seasons in different 
circuits, and saw many souls brought into the fold of 
the Great Shepherd. The money which I received for 
my labours in the circuits, I paid to the Hull quarterly- 
meetings ; and by the members of these meetings, I 
was treated with the most affectionate kindness. 

I attended the March quarterly-meeting of 1828 ; 
all our affairs went on prosperously, and we had an in- 
crease of members, for the quarter, of 204. 

In 1828, I went into the Darlaston Circuit to assist 
in opening a new chapel at Old Hill, along with brother 
Paddison and brother N. In inquiring about the 
deeds of this chapel, I found they were made in a 
wrong manner — the chapel was conveyed to five 
persons, their heirs and assigns for ever, being his Ma- 
jesty's subjects belonging to the Church of England ; 
but to no body or denomination of Christians. When I 
found this to be the nature of the deed, I told the 
friends that I could not, after preaching, collect public 
money for a Primitive Methodist chapel which did not 
belong to the body ; because I was prohibited by the 
rules of the Connexion from doing this. The poor 
trustees were much agitated, and asked me what was to 
be done, alleging that they were willing to do any thing 
for the best. I then suggested, that they must destroy 
the deed and get a new one made, in conformity with 
the rules of the Connexion, and that the superintendant 
preacher must see this business properly done or forfeit 
the sum of ten pounds. This arrangement was agreed 
to by all the parties concerned. I therefore preached, 
and appealed to the people's liberality, and the opening 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 285 

services were highly satisfactory ; the collection was 
about 30/., and a blessed influence rested on the as- 
semblies. In this circuit also, at Round Oak chapel, I 
preached sermons for the missions, and a mighty move- 
ment was experienced by the congregation. According 
to the tenor of a letter which I received from Mr. J. 
Gilbert, some time afterwards, the word preached was 
like bread cast upon water, and found many days after- 
wards. I likewise attended misssionary meetings at 
Bilson and Dudley, and preached at Darlaston ; but at 
none of these services did I feel my usual liberty. The 
cause was to me inexplicable ; however, in the morning 
I am to sow my seed, and in the evening not to with- 
hold my hand, not knowing which shall prosper, or 
whether both will be alike good. 

April 8th, I attended our district meeting at Brad- 
ford. To me the business went on heavily ; but, al- 
though difference of sentiment occasionally prevailed, I 
trust we completed the business satisfactorily. On the 
Sunday following the district meeting, I preached in 
Manchester-road chapel to a crowded congregation, and 
had my usual share of liberty and glory. Our friends 
in Stockport having erected a new chapel, I was ap- 
pointed to aid in the opening of it. The friends had 
adopted a good plan for the opening services : they had 
sold printed tickets to those who wished to attend on 
the occasion. By this arrangement they secured two 
objects, first, a good collection, and secondly, com- 
fortable sittings for those who were anxious to assist 
the trustees. 

I went, next, to Mellor Moor End, accompanied by 
Mr. S., to preach charity sermons. The day for the 
services was very unfavourable in consequence of much 
rain, but the Lord was powerfully with us ; and at the 



286 LIFE OF 

hospitable dwelling of Mr. R. Waller, we were comfort- 
ably entertained. 

The conference of 1828 having to be held at Tuns- 
tall, I proceeded thither to attend its sittings, which 
commenced on the 14th of May and closed on the 22nd. 
At this conference it was ordered, that the various mi- 
nutes made at preceding conferences should be selected, 
revised, and consolidated, to avoid the perplexity and 
trouble of referring to minutes of past conferences. The 
conference camp meeting was held at Hanley, and the 
love-feast in the evening at Tunstall : the experience 
spoken was very scriptural and powerful ; and at this 
love-feast I spoke my mind with reference to the sending 
of a missionary to America. 

From Tunstall I journeyed to Hull June quarterly- 
meeting of 1828. At this meeting, the circuit parted 
with Cornwall, by making Redruth the head of a circuit 
with 925 members. This was the twenty-third circuit 
made from the mother circuit up to this period of her 
history. 

From this meeting I departed to the town of Darling- 
ton, to hold a missionary meeting. I preached on a 
Tuesday evening, and had much freedom. The next 
day our public meeting took place ; the speaking was 
very able, and was accompanied with a powerful influ- 
ence, and the collection amounted to 601. 

From Darlington, I went to see Mr. Thomas Burton, 
at Midderidge, where I preached a sermon, and the pre- 
sence of the Lord was powerfully felt. Mr. John Flesher 
came hither to conduct me to his branch at Alston ; 
and he made me very comfortable in his house during 
my stay. In the preaching tour, which I took during 
my visit in this romantic country, I was greatly blessed 
at Garrygill-gate, Hayring, Wearhead, Glands, Westgate, 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 287 

Brotherlee, Frosterly, and Woolsingham, where the 
chapels were generally crowded to excess, and the shouts 
of praise uttered by the inhabitants of the rock in these 
places were like the roar of the mountain cataract. 

In the preaching services the glory of God broke forth 
like a burning flame, and shouts, fallings down and 
weeping prevailed on every side. I had the pleasure of 
opening the new chapel at Hayring, and also the new 
chapel at Frosterly ; and the Lord's mighty arm was 
made bare at the services. A person, called a gentle- 
man, in a state of intoxication came into the preaching 
at the latter place and annoyed us greatly. Brother 
Flesher and I, during my stay in these parts, visited 
many families, and the Lord was very gracious to the 
people ; for several captive exiles were liberated. I 
ultimately left this interesting country and its people, 
and directed my steps toward Whitehaven, where I 
preached in Mount Pleasant church to a crowded con- 
gregation. Here I met with Mr. Harrison, a preacher 
in the Wesleyan connexion, who had sent me a letter 
to the care of Mr. J. Bourne, of Bemersley ; which 
having been mislaid did not reach me until a year after 
it had been sent. The purpose of the letter was to invite 
me to mission Scotland, and to assure me that the writer 
would pay my expences thither if 1 did not succeed, and 
back to England if I wished to return. The reason 
which led him to make these propositions was, that he 
had read, in our magazines, some parts of my journal ; 
and had thought I was just the man formed by Provi- 
dence to begin a revival of religion in Scotland. 

I spent a day with Mr. Harrison in Whitehaven, in a 
very profitable manner, visiting several families ; and 
had with him a deal of conversation on the things of 
God. I thought it was unfortunate that I had not re- 



288 LIFE OF 

ceived his letter immediately after its arrival ; as I 
should most likely have missioned Scotland, being at 
the time at Shields in the north, where the work was 
going on prosperously. I believe Satan laboured un- 
usually hard to get me out of the north; and I am 
persuaded that I left it too early. Accompanied with 
Mr. Suddards, I went by a steamer from Whitehaven to 
the Isle of Man ; and here we took lodgings near the 
abode of our superintendant preacher, Mr. A. Our 
object in visiting the island was not one of pleasure or 
pastime, but to hold missionary meetings and to save 
souls. Accordingly, we held public meetings at Doug- 
las, Castle Town, Ramsey, Peel, and Laxey. At all 
these places the cloud of the Divine presence rested 
upon us. 

I was greatly interested in my visit to this beautiful 
isle : the scenery was truly fine, and many of the views 
picturesque ; but the spiritual work which God had ac- 
complished, through the ministry of brother Butcher and 
others, was fine and interesting to my soul ; hundreds 
of souls had been converted, and several new chapels 
had been built. 

The day after that, on which brother S. departed 
for Whitehaven, I took the steamer for Liverpool. 
We had a boisterous passage, and I became very ill 
through sea-sickness ; however, we arrived safely at 
Liverpool, whence I proceeded to Tunstall. My wife 
seemed, on my arrival, to be a little better than when I 
left her ; and for this I felt thankful, though I had but 
feeble hopes of her recovery. The Lord's ways are 
equal, just, and right ; and by and by every dispensa- 
tion of his providence will be accounted for, and all that 
is apparently inexplicable will be fully and satisfacto- 
rily interpreted. 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 289 

I was soon called to Hoognaston, in Derbyshire, to 
preach anniversary sermons with James Bourne. The 
chapel was crowded to excess, as many of my old 
friends from places adjacent came up to the services. I 
here found that several professors of religion had fallen 
into an important error on the subject of faith ; and had 
withdrawn themselves from the Wesleyan Society, on 
the ground of the new views which they had adopted. 
These people maintained that faith was not the gift of 
God; and that it was wrong to pray for an increase of 
it. In one of my sermons I ventured to combat those 
views, and to show the people that Jesus was " the author 
and finisher of our faith," Heb. xii. 2, and that faith 
was a fruit of the Spirit of God, Gal. v. 22, 1 Cor. 
xii. 9. In Eph. ii. 12, it is said, " Peace be to the 
brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father, and 
the Lord Jesus Christ." Now, as love and peace come 
from God, so does faith, as is evident from this passage 
of Scripture. And the disciples prayed, " Lord, in- 
crease our faith," Luke xvii. 5. 

From the manner in which God enabled me to open 
and press the subject, I had reason to believe good was 
done. Not only this ; some were reclaimed from their 
erroneous views, and others felt, that God had increased 
their faith. After the labours of the day I lodged at 
Mr. Pountain's at Hull — and I proceeded thence to 
Leeds, through Hull, to preach anniversary sermons. 
We had an overflowing attendance — the prayer-meeting 
following the preaching service was powerful, and some 
persons were in distress for the salvation of their souls. 
From Leeds I went to Darlington, to assist at some 
missionary services. These were well supported, and 
the collections amounted to about 60/. Afterwards, 
o 



290 LIFE OF 

accompanied by brother Flesher and others, I went to 
Barnard Castle on another religious excursion. 

On the Sunday I heard brother Flesher preach twice ; 
he gave great satisfaction ; the matter of the sermons 
being very good, and productive of a powerful effect. 
I likewise preached one sermon with liberty of soul. 
Brother Flesher, who sat beside some persons who were 
hearing me, told me afterwards that they were so moved 
and affected with the word, that they withdrew. We 
held a missionary meeting the next day, which was 
powerful : it gave general satisfaction, and the people 
came forward very freely to the help of the Lord. At 
Middleton we held a remarkably good public meeting ; 
great numbers of people could not gain entrance into 
the chapel ; and the collections were good. Having 
closed the meetings in the Barnard Castle branch, 
we went to the Westgate branch, and held public 
meetings at Woolsingham, Westgate, Wearhead, Nent- 
head, Alston, and Garigillgate. At all these places the 
excitement was great, and the speakers had much free- 
dom in detailing their facts and missionary adventures. 
The historical account which was given of the connexion, 
in its rise and progress, greatly interested the people, 
and dissipated much prejudice which had previously 
existed in certain quarters ; but the best feature of the 
meetings w r as that the Eternal Spirit of the Most High 
prevailed at them, making the shouts of praise from 
gladdened and joyful hearts truly grand. 

After one of these animating and glorious meetings, 
being in the house of Mr. Latimore, whose family has 
long shown all possible kindness to God's servants, the 
glory of the Lord broke fully upon us, making the 
bed-chamber where brother Flesher and I slept the 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 291 

house of God and the gate of heaven. On the Sunday- 
following I preached missionary sermons at Garigillgate, 
with brother Flesher, and had much power from on 
high. Near this place we had our abode with a farmer; 
and while we were pleading the blood of Christ around 
the tea-table, the glory of the Jehovah of hosts came 
down in such a powerful stream, that several of the 
family sank to the floor. This was a time of God's 
passing by ! O, the mighty power of faith ! Retiring 
from this part of the Lord's vineyard, I went to Pen- 
rith, Kendal, Lancaster, Preston, Manchester, and 
Tunstall ; and from the last place to Hull, to attend 
the March quarterly meeting of 1829. The preachers 
from the different branches brought very encouraging 
accounts of the progress of the work of God, and suf- 
ficient money to meet all demands. During the sit- 
tings of the meeting the Divine influence was felt in its 
baptizing power, the anointing oil was poured forth 
upon his servants, and on the week-evening's preaching 
services the people rejoiced in the God of their salva- 
tion. 

On the following week I went on another missionary 
tour to Driffield, Frodingham, and Cranswick, accom- 
panied by brothers Flesher, N., and others. These 
meetings were of a similar character to those which I 
have already described, but the Driflield meeting was 
remarkably interesting. The preaching was also very 
pointed, and a present salvation was urged with great 
force ; indeed, the services produced solid and lastingly 
good impressions upon many minds. The collections 
too were noble ; the missionary boxes were honourable 
to the industry and missionary feeling of the friends to 
whom they had been intrusted. After having called at 
Hull I went to the district meeting of 1829, held at 
o 2 



292 LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 

Leeds, and thence to Tunstall to see my partner in life. 
I preached a few times for the Tunstall brethren, and 
had some gracious seasons, and then proceeded to the 
conference of 1829, held at Scotter in Lincolnshire. 
This conference was distinguished for great peace. The 
camp meeting, missionary meetings, and preachings 
were all of a spiritual and hallowed character ; much 
good was done; and Christian affection predominated 
amongst both preachers and the people. 

After I had preached on one of the evenings during 
the sittings of conference, brother H. Bourne, retiring 
to his lodgings accompanied with brother N., main- 
tained in conversation, that I was certainly " the 
greatest preacher in the world.'" When this opinion of 
brother Bourne was communicated to me, I was asto- 
nished not a little, though I confess it would require 
great force of argument to convince me that brother 
Bourne's sentiment was correct. I am, however, what 
I am, by the grace of God ; and, whatever good may 
have been done by my ministry, I wish God to have all 
the glory. O, may I always lie at the foot of the cross ! 
At this conference four preachers were nominated to 
undertake a mission in America. After the conference 
closed, and the delegates had expressed to the Scotter 
friends their sense of gratitude for the hospitality and 
kindness with which they had been treated, they and 
the friends bade each other adieu ; the former depart- 
ing in God's name, to their respective circuits, missions, 
and homes. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

Hull camp-meeting — Quarterly-meeting — Appointed to see the fiist 
Primitive Methodist missionaries set sail to America — Preaches in 
Liverpool — Souls in distress — Tour in Lincolnshire — York Anni- 
versary — Forms a class — Missionary services at Nottingham, &c. — 
The great drummer — Pocklington district meeting — Anniversaries — 
Hull Conference, many souls saved — Hull circuit's doings — Travail 
of soul — Highways and hedges — Important remarks — Kidsgrove — 
Norwich missionary meeting — Zeal of a Wesleyan — Prayer for a 
man under sentence of death — Important observations — A number 
of anniversaries in different parts of the kingdom — Good done. 

From Scotter I came to Hull to assist at a camp meet- 
ing, and to attend the June quarterly meeting of 1 829. 
The camp meeting was supported with efficient 
preachers, and praying labourers ; and the love-feast 
following it, held in the chapel in the evening, was 
powerful. 

The quarterly meeting was also peaceable and en- 
couraging, a large number of friends from different parts 
of our extensive circuit came together, and, on inquiry, 
it was ascertained that our affairs stood in a prosperous 
position. We did not make any new circuit on this 
occasion ; but we received as a branch Thorne circuit, 
which had broken down with 113 members. I was by 
this quarterly meeting directed to assist the mission- 
aries who had been appointed for America, in their em- 
barkation. After meeting with some inconveniences 
and difficulties, I had the pleasure to see the mission- 
aries on board a vessel at Liverpool, and the day fol- 



294 LIFE OF 

lowing that of their embarkation, June 17, the vessel 
set sail with a fair wind. On the following Sunday I 
preached in Maguire-street chapel to a crowded congre- 
gation ; and several persons, in distress for their souls, 
cried to God for mercy. After I had stopped some 
time with the penitents, I felt so much exhausted with 
the exertion of the service, that I was under the neces- 
sity of retiring to my lodgings. From Liverpool I went 
to Tunstall, and found matters there to be as they were 
when I left it. After visiting several places and preach- 
ing at them, where I was much blessed and comforted, 
I returned to Hull. Being appointed to superintend 
missionary services at Goxhill in Lincolnshire, I pro- 
ceeded thither ; and the meetings were attended by the 
presence of the Great Master : many persons were af- 
fected with religious concern, and satisfaction was given 
with respect to the missionary details of the speakers. 
I next visited the city of York for the purpose of 
preaching anniversary sermons for our chapel there ; 
and it gives me pleasure to say, that God blessed my 
ministrations to the good of the people's souls. I also 
spoke in St. Clement's-place, where I formed a class, 
and found several persons determined to serve the Lord. 
Here I spent profitably a short time with brother 
Thomas Holliday, whose spirit and conduct as a Chris- 
tian and able minister of the New Testament I highly 
admired. 

Being engaged with brother S. to preach anniver- 
sary sermons at Swanland, in the neighbourhood of 
Hull, I was enabled to attend this appointment ; and a 
short while afterwards I assisted in holding missionary 
meetings at Nottingham, Ilkeston, Hucknell, and Bot- 
tesford. At all these places the congregations were 
large, and the services delightful ; the speaking was 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 295 

sound and weighty, and free from that spirit of levity 
that too frequently prevails at missionary meetings. 

At Nottingham I preached two missionary sermons, 
and heard the sound of the Master's feet behind me. 

At Bottesford I was kindly received by Mr. Wilson, 
who was as glad to see me as at former times. Here I 
saw the great drummer who was among the number of 
our persecutors when we missioned Bottesford in 1817. 
God had arrested his conscience, had induced him to 
ground his arms, and to be enrolled among the ranks 
of the redeemed. My soul felt inexpressible gratitude 
and thankfulness to the Saviour for the change which I 
was permitted to see in this place. When we first stood 
up to preach here in the name of the Lord, the street 
was our place of worship, and persecution was violent ; 
but now we have a good chapel and congregation, and 
persecution is unknown. " Praise the Lord, O my 
soul, and forget not all his benefits ! " Our meetings at 
this town, supported by the assistance of brothers T. 
King, Simmons, Spencer, and others from Nottingham, 
proved times of refreshing from the presence of the 
Lord. I next came to Hull, and was deputed to go to 
Grimsby to obtain an interview with Mary Burks re- 
specting her going to America to assist in the missions 
there ; our friends at Hull being inclined to send her if 
she had been agreeable to go ; but after I had submitted 
to her the case in all its bearings, I found she was not 
disposed to respond to the call, and hence the matter 
ended. 

The next thing that I shall notice is the Hull Dis- 
trict Meeting, held at Pocklington. The camp meeting 
on the Sunday was attended by vast multitudes. In 
the evening I preached a missionary sermon, and God 
was with us both in the preaching and praying labours 



296 LIFE OF 

of the day. The next day a public meeting was held, 
the speakers gave general satisfaction, and I trust good 
was done among the numerous strangers that attended. 
The business of the district meeting terminated in peace, 
and the delegates departed well satisfied. 

My next visit was paid to Thorne, where I had an- 
niversary sermons to preach. I had tolerable liberty, 
and at the prayer meeting that followed the preaching 
services, several were wrought upon by the Spirit of God ; 
but the work here was distressingly low. I prayed 
that God would remove the cause, and that " Zion might 
travail and bring forth children." 

Accompanied by brother Suddards, T next visited 
Elloughton to preach anniversary sermons. Here a de- 
lightful change had taken place of late years ; for in- 
stead of a barn as our preaching-house, we had an ex- 
cellent chapel, and a good church of living stones. 

The next matter which I shall notice is the Confer- 
ence of 1830, which was held at Hull. It commenced 
on the 13th of May and terminated on the 19th. 

During its sittings we had preachings at five o'clock 
in the mornings and seven in the evenings, in different 
parts of the town. The Conference camp meeting was 
held on the Dock-green, a very excellent situation for 
such a meeting, and the people who attended were very 
numerous. We had three preaching-stands, the pray- 
ing companies were well supported, and good was done 
on the camp ground ; but in the love-feast held in the 
evening, an extraordinary weight of Divine power 
streamed down from heaven upon the people, the 
speaking was rapid, sound, and clear — cries for pardon- 
ing mercy arose in every part of the chapel, and many 
sinners were converted to God. The state of the Con- 
nexion was found to be prosperous : the year's increase 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 297 

of members was 2,013 ; and the total number in the 
Connexion was 35,733. These members were classified 
into five districts, two of which had been raised by the 
Hull circuit alone. 

About a fortnight after the termination of the confer- 
ence, Hull June quarterly meeting took place ; union 
and peace distinguished our proceedings on this occa- 
sion, and the devotional services were full of the 
unction of the Holy One. In our calculations on the 
numerical position in which we stood, we ascertained 
that the Connexion had existed about twenty years, 
and that in about eleven years of this period Hull 
circuit had raised more than a third part of the Con- 
nexion ; and had, on an average, increased a thousand 
members a year, from the time I entered it as a mis- 
sionary, on January 18th, 1819. Thus we had reason 
to adopt the sacred interrogatory, " What hath God 
wrought ?" 

But how much more powerful should we have been 
had all our missionaries remained firm at their posts ! 
When a standard-bearer faints on the battle-field, his 
conduct throws despondency among the ranks in which 
he is numbered, and often causes desertion and flight 
on the part of many, who otherwise would have re- 
mained faithful. One main consideration in the conver- 
sion of sinners requisite on the part of preachers, is tra- 
vail of soul, associated with holiness of heart and intimate 
fellowship with God. If this were the experience of 
all ministers, there would be manifested an intense de- 
sire for the salvation of souls. 

Another consideration is — a going out into the high- 
ways and hedges — the streets and lanes of the city — 
preaching in the open air, being instant in season and 
out of season — imitating the precedent set by Jesus 
o 3 



298 LIFE OF 

Christ and his disciples, and the fathers of the primitive 
church and the reformation. They exhorted sinners, 
to turn to God wherever they could gain access to them 
— in the street or the market — on the mountain or the 
sea-shore — on board of ships or in the humble cottages. 
This course ought never to be neglected ; so that, if 
sinners will not come to us, we must go to them ; and 
preach to them a full, free, and present salvation ; we 
must proclaim to them the terrors of the law, urge 
them to flee from the wrath to come, and to bring forth 
fruits meet for repentance. Show them in the plainest, 
most earnest and affectionate manner, God's plan for 
saving their souls ; believe that God will confirm his 
own word in their conviction and salvation ; and cherish 
the utmost confidence in being successful in our pur- 
pose ; for if we have a dispensation of the gospel com- 
mitted to us, God has ordained us, and sent us forth to 
make it known to the sons and daughters of men. 

There will, in this arduous toil, frequently take place 
great conflicts, trials of faith, and inward distress. An 
attempt to disturb the devil's power, and to rescue poor 
sinners from his terrible grasp, will naturally rouse the 
virulence of this fallen spirit ; hence the conflict will be 
often severe and protracted; but if the ministers of God 
press onwards, " The trial of their faith being much more 
precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried 
with fire, will be found unto praise and honour and 
glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter i. 7. 
Some may be disposed, from these observations, to 
insinuate that as sinners are free agents, and are to be 
saved by an exercise of faith on their own part, they 
may therefore reject the message of mercy and render 
void the faith of the preacher. But from the circum- 
stance of their free agency it may equally be contended 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 299 

that many of them will receive the truth. Besides, it 
is the preacher's duty to preach in faith and with the 
Holy Ghost, sent down from heaven. Some have said, 
11 Well, what can the sinner do, or what the preacher, 
in the work of salvation? — Nothing." But when, it 
may be asked, did God ever send forth a preacher on 
a mission who was unable to do anything ? God's ser- 
vants are not thus empty, they are full, they are moved 
by the Holy Ghost to preach the gospel ; and God says 
of the ministers of Zion, " I will clothe her priests with 
salvation," Ps. cxxxii. 16. And, says the apostle, 
" I am sure that when I come to you, I shall come in 
the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ," 
Rom. xv. 29. 

The true Christian apostolic priesthood are, therefore, 
full of the divine furniture, they have been into the holy 
of holies, and have received, from the high priest of their 
profession, grace and baptism ; and in their ministra- 
tions they have fruit, which is the evidence of the divi- 
nity of their mission. 

The next thing I may notice is the opening of the 
Kidsgrove chapel, near Tunstall. I had a glorious time 
at this opening, for the believers present on the occa- 
sion had not only faith in God, but likewise confidence 
that success would crown my labours among them ; and 
God honoured their faith. At this place I have had 
many a glorious time, and never will my endearments 
to Kidsgrove be wiped from my recollection. It was 
here that I was first appointed to be a shepherd in Israel, 
to feed a flock whom the chief Shepherd had purchased 
with his own blood. 

My next journey was to the city of Norwich, where 
I assisted to hold a missionary meeting in Rose-yard 
chapel. At this meeting I was very much interested 



300 LIFE OF 

with the spirit and zeal of a Wesleyan Methodist, who 
came forward to speak in favour of our missionary opera- 
tions. Whilst we were conducting the service a note 
was sent up to the platform requesting the prayers of 
the congregation for a man under sentence of death, who 
had to be executed the next morning. I proposed that 
we should immediately begin to plead for the poor male- 
factor ; and whilst we cried to God we felt liberty of 
soul, which inclines me to believe that I shall see the 
man in heaven. 

The city of Norwich, notwithstanding its thirty-six 
parish churches and numerous clergy, is awfully wicked. 
Thousands of its inhabitants think that if they go to 
church, and keep what is styled church hours, they may 
in the spare hours of the sacred sabbath do what they 
please. And thousands regard neither the day nor the 
church ; hence the dreadful prostitution of the best of 
days — the day of rest. And are those numerous minis- 
ters appointed by the state to enforce the observance 
of the sabbath, and to uphold morality and piety faith- 
ful in the discharge of their public duty, and in furnish- 
ing examples of sanctity and Christian order in their 
lives and conversation? Alas! it is to be feared, that 
in many instances, the blind are leading the blind. What 
might the united influence which these Norwich parsons 
possess accomplish, were it properly directed, and pro- 
perly purified ? And a similar query may apply to other 
towns and cities in the kingdom. We should then need 
fewer of those gloomy prisons that raise their heads in 
every direction; fewer of those public executions which 
are so disgraceful in a Christian country ; less expense 
in police establishments, and other institutions occa- 
sioned by the crimes and transgressions of our country- 
men. O that all the state clergy would arise, and, by 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 301 

precept and example, perform their duty ; and all those 
ministers would arise also, who are maintained, accord- 
ing to the spirit and intention of Christianity, by the 
free-will offerings of the people, and sound a mighty 
blast on the gospel trumpet, that our country may be 
elevated in true religion, and that vice may hide its 
diminished head. 

From Norwich, in company with brother Penteny, I 
went to Lynn. Here I preached three times, assisted 
in the services by brother Oscroft ; and many were pow- 
erfully affected, and I trust the day will declare it. 

I next went to Boston, and preached, and the Lord 
was verily there. From Boston I came to Hull, and 
then went to the city of York, to preach on an anniver- 
sary occasion. Here I spent a few happy hours with 
my old friends and children, and especially with brother 
T. Holliday. Being engaged for anniversary sermons 
at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, I started thither and arrived 
safely. The power of Jehovah was gloriously made 
known to the crowded assemblies ; and at the evening's 
prayer-meeting several souls were induced to seek the 
Lord. At Newcastle I was cordially entertained at the 
house of Mr. Hall, from whose family I received the 
kindest attention. 

From Newcastle I journeyed to Whitehaven, where I 
had, according to announcement, to aid in holding pub- 
lic meetings, as well as at Workington and Harrington, 
All the meetings terminated satisfactorily. I next 
made haste to reach the south-east side of the kingdom, 
to attend meetings at Scarborough, Flixton, Filey, and 
Bridlington Quay. These meetings, also, were good. 
I proceeded thence to assist at other meetings at Mai- 
ton, Driffield, Nafferton, and Middleton. The cloud of 
God's glory rested upon the speakers and the people in 



302 LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 

all these services ; and at two of the places sinners cried 
for mercy, and obtained it, to the joy of their souls. 

These circumstances cheered us in our missionary 
tour, and enabled us to spread the fame of Jesus. 

Soon afterwards I went to Warrington, a part of the 
Preston-brook circuit, to preach anniversaries. After 
preaching with full liberty, a prayer-meeting was held 
at which a rich stream of Divine power flowed upon us, 
and two souls were converted to God. While here I 
visited several families, and felt happy to find the cause 
of God gaining ground. 

On Monday evening I went to a village called Law- 
ton, and preached to a full house ; the word appeared 
to make a deep impression on the hearts of the people, 
as their countenances sufficiently indicated. In the 
praying service that followed the preaching many souls 
were powerfully affected, and, I trust, some would 
thenceforward begin to lead a new life. On taking my 
departure from Warrington, I travelled to Tunstall, by 
way of Manchester ; and afterwards came to Hull, the 
place of my chief joy. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

Embarks for Yarmouth — Reproves an infidel — Rough voyage — Hull 
district meeting — Several anniversaries — Attends Leicester Confer- 
ence — Anniversary services — Souls saved — Horse without a rider — 
Anniversary — Testimony against sabbath baking — Woman healed, 
soul and body — Important facts — Anniversaries and observations — 
Souls saved — Escape — Missionary services, &c. — Raby Castle — 
Drenching journey — Bradford Conference — Mr. Flesher preaches, 
about twenty souls saved — Anniversaries, &c. — Hull quarterly meet- 
ing — Charity sermons, &c. — His wife's death — Remarks thereon, 
and on her character. 

Being appointed to attend the north Walsham district 
meeting, of 1831, I took the steamer, the Lowther, at 
Hull, bound for Yarmouth, on the evening of the 22nd 
of March. The wind was blowing heavily, there was 
but one passenger on board besides myself; and I 
feared that he would be an uncomfortable one, as he 
proved to be ; for he was an infidel. Having ascer- 
tained, when he entered the vessel, that the porters had 
forgot a part of his luggage, he instantly began to curse 
them, with a stentorian voice. As he had thus hoisted 
his flag, I thought it was time for me to show mine ; so 
I reproved him in as gentle a tone as I could, for tak- 
ing the name of the Lord in vain. He immediately 
told me that he had a right to express himself as he 
liked, and that he usually did as I had just heard him 
do. I told him that it was possible for him to express 
his meaning without swearing. He replied, that if it 
were, his meaning would not be sufficiently emphatical 
without ; and that, in short, I had no business with 



304 LIFE OF 

him. I told him that we ought to care for each other's 
welfare, and to try to prevent each other's ruin ; as the 
Bible had expressly commanded us to do these. He 
then began to curse the Bible, and to blaspheme in a 
violent manner ; and shortly he withdrew from me, 
swearing as he went to the fore part of the vessel ; and 
I retired to the after-cabin : thus we were separated. 

Mr. Moody, the captain, a serious man, suggested 
the propriety of my going to bed before the vessel 
reached the sea, in order that I might prevent very 
heavy sickness ; I complied : but when we reached the 
sea, the wind blowing from the east, the packet rolled 
very much, and I, notwithstanding my adoption of the 
captain's hint, became very sick. Afterwards the wind 
shifted east- north- east, and blew a perfect gale ; the 
sea running very high. We were a day and a night 
longer in the voyage than we should, had the weather 
been favourable. At daylight we got through what is 
called the cockle, but with great difficulty, the captain 
being unable to see the buoys in consequence of a fall of 
snow. We then made for Yarmouth harbour ; but the 
weather was so tempestuous, and the sea so rough, that 
no pilot could come to our assistance ; and just as we 
were crossing the bar, a heavy sea struck the stern of 
the vessel, and stove in the cabin windows. I was 
lying on the cabin floor, nearly insensible with sick- 
ness ; but the sea, dashing over me, aroused me. Its 
roaring associated with the clatter of the men's feet 
upon deck, and the captain crying aloud, "Port! port!" 
alarmed me much ; for I thought the captain cried 
" Boat! boat!" and I had the idea that the vessel was 
going down. 1 hastened up the cabin steps, though 
nearly exhausted with sickness, and drenched with 
water ; and when I was able to question the captain, I 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 305 

learned that we were over the bar. The engine, how- 
ever was broken, and matters were in great confusion. 
In the captain's opinion, had the engine given way 
before we had crossed the bar, we should have perished. 
We did not reach Yarmouth until Thursday morning, 
having been on the water from Tuesday evening, the 
time of our departure from Hull. Though I was so 
exceedingly ill and sick, as to be apprehensive that I 
should burst a blood-vessel, yet, blessed be God ! my 
mind was kept in peace. Before I embarked, and 
during the former part of the passage, 1 had an im- 
pression that I should have to go through danger, and 
endure difficulty ; and, therefore, at the Throne of 
grace I obtained preparation for the struggle. After 
taking breakfast with the captain, and visiting brother 
Bellham, the superintendent preacher of the Yarmouth 
circuit, I took a coach for Norwich, and lodged at Mr. 
Graham's, where the superintendent of the Norwich 
circuit resided. After conversing with our friends be- 
longing to Rose-yard chapel, I saw the necessity of a 
preacher being appointed to officiate therein, and to 
mission sundry places around the city. Ere the day 
ended, I proceeded from Norwich to North Walsham, 
where I abode, during my stay, at the house of bro- 
ther Tetley, the superintendent. We had a comfortable 
district meeting ; for which I thanked God, as did 
the brethren. On the sabbath I preached two sermons 
to excellent congregations ; and the Lord was specially 
present. On the Monday evening I aided in holding 
a missionary meeting ; the addresses were appropriate 
and powerful, and highly satisfactory to the congrega- 
tion. 

I proceeded next to Grimsby, in Lincolnshire, to 
attend the Hull District meeting. At this meeting 



306 LIFE OF 

business was executed well, and quickly ; and on the 
Monday evening the delegates held a missionary meet- 
ing, which was attended by an audience filling the 
chapel to overflowing. Afterwards I went to Man- 
chester, to preach school sermons. Here, sister Eliza- 
beth Allen officiated twice, and I twice ; the collections 
were upwards of 261., and the presence of the Highest 
was in all the services. 

From Manchester I went to Middleton, about five 
miles distant, and collected about 61. for its chapel ; 
but, oh ! I was concerned to find that the work of the 
Lord was low. 

Tunstall was the next place whicb I visited, and 
here I found my partner in life in a very feeble condi- 
tion. After leaving Tunstall, I assisted our friends at 
Knowl-wood, in the reopening of their chapel, a new 
gallery having been put into it. 

This chapel is singularly situated, standing on the de- 
clivity of a lofty hill, with a wood rising in its rear. The 
services were so well attended, that for lack of chapel- 
room many of the people had to stand in the wood, where, 
as the pulpit faced them, they could see and hear me 
through the chapel-windows. Also, brother J. Garner 
and R. Woodhall preached on the occasion ; and, not- 
withstanding the depression of trade, and the conse- 
quent poverty of the people, the collections amounted 
to 20/. 

On the Sunday following that on which I was at 
Knowl-wood, I preached sermons for the Sunday-school 
at Biddulph Moor, where I was sorry to find the work 
of God low. 

On the following week I went to Leicester to attend 
the Conference of 1831 ; which began on the Friday, 
and ended on the following Wednesday afternoon. 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 307 

The religious services were well supported and very- 
powerful. At the camp meeting there were two preach- 
ing-stands, and at each preaching service fifty minutes 
were allowed for the delivery of two addresses and for 
the singing and praying associated therewith, each of- 
fender being subject to a fine of one shilling for every 
minute he occupied beyond his proper time. I preached 
once, but through a hoarseness I could hardly go through 
the service. In the evening I had to lead the Con- 
ference love-feast ; and during the former part of the 
service I was much oppressed with the powers of dark- 
ness ; but before its conclusion the Lord delivered me, 
and difFused so much of his power among the people, 
that cries for pardoning mercy were uttered in different 
parts of the chapel, and soon prisoners were released 
from their chains, and believers rejoiced with great 

joy- 
While preaching a missionary sermon on Monday 
evening, I felt a gracious influence ; but, as my hoarse- 
ness abated not, I concluded the service within an hour, 
and left the people to pray with some souls in distress. 
Having arrived at my lodgings, I retired, wept, and 
prayed that the Lord would save sinners ; and, blessed 
be his name, he answered. 

On the Tuesday evening a missionary meeting was 
held, at which brothers Bourne and S. were chairmen 
alternately. The speaking was very good, though one 

error was committed, — brother was suffered to 

go beyond the time allowed for each speaker, and when 
the offence was brought before the Conference, he was 
suffered to escape without censure. This was con- 
sidered by some delegates to be highly objectionable. 

When the Conference had terminated, I proceeded to 
Nottingham, where I remained for a few days with Mr. 



308 LIFE OF 

Wilson, a warm-hearted friend, who had entertained me 
affectionately some years previously, while attending a 
Conference held at the town. According to an appoint- 
ment, I preached anniversary sermons at Belper on the 
Sunday, and on the Monday I departed for Beverley in 
Yorkshire, where I had to attend a missionary meeting 
in the evening. 

Hull circuit's quarterly meeting began on the Tues- 
day, and through pressure of business it continued 
nearly the whole of the week ; but the success which 
had crowned the labours of its members, rendered toil 
sweet. 

On Sunday I preached missionary sermons at Pa- 
trington to large congregations ; and 1 know not that 
ever I enjoyed greater liberty in speaking. Several 
sinners were shaken, and of these one woman came to 
Keyingham on the following Wednesday evening, and 
obtained liberty through the blood of the Lamb. I was 
much fatigued with these labours ; but the hospitable 
families who entertained me, afforded me every neces- 
sary comfort. 

On the Monday evening I went to Easington, on the 
Western shore of the German Ocean, to aid in holding 
a missionary meeting, and after the meeting I returned 
to Patrington. I was sorry to find the work of God 
low ; but afterwards glad to hear that the meeting had 
had a reviving effect. 

On the Tuesday evening I attended a missionary 
meeting at Patrington, in the Baptist-chapel, where the 
speaking was savoury and the collection good. On the 
night following I attended a public meeting at Keying- 
ham, and here the Lord converted two souls. 

On Saturday 1 left Hull for York, where I assisted to 
hold a camp meeting on the Race-ground. The multi- 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 309 

tude which attended this meeting was very great, and 
the Divine influence thereon, throughout the day, was 
very gracious. However, when we had concluded the 
last of the praying services, and had just reached the 
stand where the last sermon was to be delivered, Satan 
entered into a wicked man, who turned his horse amongst 
the people without a rider. The horse, however, gal- 
loped away and leaped a hedge, pursued by some of the 
sons of Belial. This circumstance produced a tem- 
porary confusion among the people ; but not such as to 
hinder me from proceeding with my discourse. Another 
attempt was made to annoy us with the horse, but with 
little effect, as we soon concluded the service and re- 
paired to the chapel, where brother William Howcroft 
preached a powerful missionary sermon. In the prayer 
meeting which followed the evening's service several 
persons were in distress of soul ; but, through unbelief, 
they did not obtain liberty. On the afternoon and 
evening of the following day, we held a missionary 
meeting, and the speaking, the feeling, and the collect 
tion were good indeed. 

I next visited Swinefleet, where I preached a mis- 
sionary sermon, and brother J. Flesher two. After- 
wards an interesting missionary meeting was held, and 
was well attended, powerfully addressed, and liberally 
encouraged by the friends of our missions. After these 
services I proceeded to Tunstall, and, finding my wife 
afflicted as usual, caused me deep and protracted suffer- 
ing. While I was in Staffordshire I preached twice for 
the benefit of the Sunday-school at Congleton, and 
though I had considerable freedom while speaking in 
the evening, yet I was depressed to see the work of 
God low, and the people apparently illiberal in their 
support of the institution for whose interests we had 



310 LIFE OF 

assembled. On the following Sunday I preached for 
the Sunday-school at Talk-o'-the-hill, and afterwards 
for the benefit of the chapel here. In returning to 
Tunstall with certain friends, we sang nearly all the 
way, and felt happy in the God of our salvation. 

During my stay in Staffordshire, I preached also at 
Pitt's-hill, and led a love-feast, and attended the quar- 
terly visitation of the classes, besides preaching in the 
school-room ; and in all these labours I heard the sound 
of my Master's feet behind me. 

August 30th, 1831, I came to Hull to attend the 
quarterly meeting, and was glad to find the work of 
God progressing, and the brethren dwelling together in 
unity. 

On Sunday, September 14, I preached anniversary 
sermons for Elloughton chapel, but was somewhat 
limited in soul ; yet I believe good was done. After 
returning to Hull, and preaching in Holderness-road, I 
went to Scarborough branch ; and on the sabbath 
preached two sermons for the missions at Filey; in both 
the services the God of missions was present. The in- 
dividual at whose house I was stationed, was a baker ; 
and when I entered the house on the sabbath morning, 
I found the floor covered with unbaked pies and pud- 
dings. Being grieved at this sight, I turned away, and 
went to the chapel. I wished some other person than 
the baker would invite me to dinner; but as no other 
did, I went to his house, hoping that I should find an 
opportunity to reason with him on the iniquity of his 
practice. When I re-entered his house, he was drawing 
the oven, while some of his customers were hurrying 
away with their dinners. I began without delay to 
preach to him and them about their profanation of 
the day of God. When I had ceased my address, he 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 311 

acknowledged that the practice of Sunday "baking was 
wrong, 1 felt grieved on his account, for he appeared 
well-disposed. After having had some conversation 
with him, I prayed with his family, and took my de- 
parture. In attending a class meeting on this occasion, 
a man accosted me, desiring to know what sermon it 
was that I had once preached at River-bridge. 1 told 
him I could not inform him, as my journal was not 
then in my possession. He said he had a strong desire 
to know, because it was under that sermon that his 
wife, who had been possessed by the devil, and much 
afflicted for twelve years, was healed in soul and body, 
and that she had, after living for some time afterwards, 
died happy in the Lord. I felt thankful at hearing 
this fact; and I now bless God that many similar facts 
have been stated to me, as having been the result of 
my labours. How necessary, then, is it to go on cast- 
ing the bread upon the waters, assured that it shall be 
seen after many days. To God be all the glory ! 

The next place I visited, to assist in missionary ser- 
vices, was Scarborough, where, on a Monday afternoon, 
and by adjournment, in the evening held a public meet- 
ing, assisted by two Baptist ministers and one Inde- 
pendent. At the evening meeting one of the Baptist 
ministers observed that he had been partly disappointed 
in not hearing, as on former occasions, a detail of facts, 
which, in his views, always gave peculiar interest to 
missionary meetings. After he had finished his address, 
I arose, and said it was a fact that, on January 28, 
1820, I came to Scarborough, and preached in the open 
air, to a large multitude, that souls were converted to 
God, and that a church was formed ; that I afterwards 
raised the banner of the cross at Cloughton, Robin 
Hood's bay, Whitby, and other places ; and that the 



312 LIFE OF 

powers of darkness were shaken, and souls were saved. 
I further said it was a fact that I proceeded to Leeds, 
and began to sound the gospel trumpet in a room in 
Sampson's warehouse, occupied by a dancing-master ; 
that here the devil and Sampson gained a temporary- 
advantage over me, the latter having been induced by 
the former to shout that the warehouse was falling, and 
thereby to cause many of my hearers, through fear, to 
rush to the door, and dash down the stairs, falling one 
upon another ; and others to attempt to jump through 
the windows ; — and yet that all were preserved from 
harm, and were restored to composure by my singing, 
" Come, O come, thou vilest sinner," &c. ; that, at the 
next preaching service, the devil and Sampson had 
forestalled me and my friends, and had hung a padlock 
on the door to prevent us from entering to -worship 
God ; that we stood in confusion until Sally Taylor 
offered her cellar as a place of worship, which was ac- 
cepted ; that in the cellar the glory of God was re- 
vealed, and souls were saved ; and that a society was 
afterwards formed, a chapel built, and the mission ren- 
dered otherwise prosperous. I observed also that it was 
a fact that I w r ent to London, and, among the sabbath- 
breakers buying and selling on the sabbath, in Clare- 
market, uplifted the voice of reproof, in the name of 
the Lord, and warned metropolitan sinners to flee from 
the wrath to come ; and that, despite of great persecu- 
tion and danger, God made me instrumental in the sal- 
vation of souls. When I had related several other facts 
which had occurred in my different missionary tours, I 
sat down ; and a respectable gentleman in the congre- 
gation then arose, and requested permission to say a 
few words. Permission having been given, he spoke 
about the importance of missionary enterprise, and the 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 313 

necessity for all present to encourage it ; and lie ob- 
served, that what I had stated respecting Leeds, and 
Sally Taylor's cellar, he knew to be true. His obser- 
vations produced a powerful effect upon the meeting, 
which was afterwards admitted to have been the best 
Primitive Methodist missionary meeting ever held at 
Scarborough. I next accompanied certain of my 
brethren to Bridlington- quay, and Naiferton. At the 
former of these places a missionary meeting was held in 
the Union chapel, and was liberally encouraged by 
the contributions of our friends ; and at the latter our 
success was in every respect encouraging. 

On returning to Hull, I found that my next business 
was to aid in missionary services at Cottingham. Ac- 
cordingly, on a Sunday afternoon we held a public 
meeting, and in the evening I heard brother T. Holli- 
day preach, with Divine power. On the Sunday fol- 
lowing I preached anniversary sermons for Beverley 
chapel ; and in the morning I had liberty of soul, but 
was in partial bondage in the evening. It. M. Bever- 
ley, Esq., a celebrated polemic, was present, and he put 
into a collecting-box a half-sovereign. After the ser- 
vice I took supper with his sister, who was not ashamed 
of the cross of Christ. On the following Sunday, I 
preached twice in aid of Hessle chapel ; the congrega- 
tions were good, and the devotional feeling excellent. 

I next went to Leeds to assist on an anniversary 
occasion. At the evening's service the chapel was filled 
to overflowing, and at both services we had times of 
refreshing from the presence of the Lord ; two souls 
being brought to the enjoyment of salvation by faith. 

On the Sunday following I preached anniversary ser- 
mons at Tunstall, where I had much Divine help ; but 
I was sorry that the work of God was not advancing. 



314 LIFE OF 

My next appointment was at Quarry Bank, in the 
Darlaston circuit, where I had crowded audiences and 
powerful times. In the afternoon's service I was led to 
make a long introduction to my sermon, and to dwell on 
some topics exactly suitable to certain of my hearers, 
who had launched so far into trade as to neglect their 
souls and destroy their usefulness in the church. God 
had, however, suffered distress to overtake them ; for 
their measures had been deranged, and their expecta- 
tions blighted. I observed, in my address, that the 
Devil was present, as well as the Lord, and that if they 
did not take care, he would preach to them as fast as I 
could, and tell them that some one had informed me of 
their condition, since I had entered their neighbourhood. 
I also assured them that I knew nothing about them, 
having made no inquiries ; but that God, who was with 
me, knew all their public and private conduct, and had 
led me to dwell upon such topics as would no doubt be 
adapted to the conditions of some of them. I after- 
wards found that the Lord had used me for his own holy 
purpose ; for certain individuals came to me and said 
that they were the persons whom I had described, and 
that they thought I had known that they were hearing 
me. I told them I knew nothing of them, not being 
able to recollect ever having seen them. One of them 
invited me to lodge at his house ; and I accepted his 
invitation, and admonished and warned him about the 
interest of his soul. 

On the Sunday following I preached at Pitt's Hill, 
and the heavenly fire burned fervently and brilliantly 
upon many hearts. Journeying from Staffordshire to 
Hull by coach, I had to cross Stanidge, a lofty moun- 
tain between Oldham and Huddersfield. Surrounded 
with darkness and a thick mist, danger beset the pas- 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 315 

sengers ; for, as the coachman could not see the road, 
we were liable to be precipitated down an awful side of 
the hill. However, one of the passengers alighted from 
the coach and led the horses till we were thought to be 
on safe ground, and thus were we preserved ; for which 
I thank God. I arrived safely at Hull on Saturday ; 
and on Sunday morning, November 29, 1831, I 
preached, and led a love-feast in the afternoon. At the 
love-feast a glorious unction from the Holy One rested 
upon the people : one individual received purity of heart, 
whilst confessing his need of it; the faith of God's 
people became powerful, and they rejoiced with exceed- 
ing joy. 

On Tuesday, December the 1st, the business of Hull 
December quarterly meeting began ; and though it ended 
satisfactorily, yet during the week, pain w r as occasioned 
by our having to discontinue the labours of a travelling 
preacher through inefficiency. Every circuit in Sunder- 
land district had refused to have him at a preceding 
Conference ; but, for the purpose of giving him a longer 
trial, he was received by the delegates of Hull circuit. 
However, the branch in which he was stationed made 
such serious complaints about his conduct, as to render 
his continuance intolerable ; therefore he was dismissed 
from the itineracy with a promise that some pecuniary 
help should be afforded him with which to commence 
some suitable handicraft, should the circuit's next 
quarter's revenue increase. 

On Sabbath, December 6th, 1831, I preached morn- 
ing and evening in Mill-street chapel. In the first 
service I was rather bound in spirit ; but in the second, 
I had good liberty ; and at the meeting which followed, 
one sinner was converted. 

p2 



316 LIFE OF 

On the next Sabbath I laboured at Cottingham, and 
on the week evenings at Hull, Holderness-road, and 
other places ; and on Christmas-day, in Mill-street 
chapel, a fresh baptism was poured upon the people. 

My next Sabbath was occupied in preaching anniver- 
sary sermons for Grimsby chapel ; and on the Monday 
I attended one of the Grimsby circuit's quarterly meet- 
ings, which was rather perplexed with a case affecting 
two young men, local preachers, who had begun to mis- 
sion without any official authority, and to carry a white 
flag whilst singing through the streets. The defendants 
were reminded that the preaching of Christ and him 
crucified, and the fulfilling of the design of God in going 
into the highways and hedges to compel sinners to come 
in to the spiritual banquet, did not require such osten- 
tatious display as that which they had exhibited ; that 
their display was not consistent with the scriptural 
course of missioning, or in character with the kingdom 
of Christ ; and that, therefore, they must discontinue it, 
and labour in a simple, humble, and persevering manner, 
for the conversion of sinners to God. One of the youths 
promised to obey the church, but the other refused; and 
the meeting, wishful to save him, gave the latter three 
months in which to reconsider his rebellion, and have 
opportunity for repentance. 

On Jan. 7th, 1832, I preached school-sermons in the 
neighbourhood of Oldham, in Lancashire ; and in the 
evening of the 8th, I addressed a large congregation at 
Oldham. The people here appeared sincere Christians, 
and the work of the Lord prospered among them. From 
Oldham I went through Bolton and Manchester to War- 
rington, where I preached two anniversary sermons on 
a Sabbath ; and on the following Monday evening, ac- 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 317 

companied by brother Jersey, I went to preach at a 
country village, where I had a shaking time, which, I 
believe, will never be forgotten. 

After visiting Tunstall, I went to Macclesfield to 
preach, and had satisfactory seasons ; for, in the first 
place, six souls found peace with God ; and, in the 
second, the collections far exceeded the people's expec- 
tations. 

My next engagement was for the anniversary sermons 
at Pitt's Hill ; and here we had a soul saved, and liberal 
collections. 

As Hull March quarterly meeting for 1832 was ap- 
proaching, I proceeded thither to meet my brethren. 
After the business of Tuesday and Wednesday had 
closed, we held two interesting missionary meetings in 
Mill- street chapel, and God was with us in a special 
manner. On the following week, I accompanied bro- 
thers Sanderson, Bywater, Eckersley, and Quirk, to 
hold a public meeting at Easington, and we had a glo- 
rious time. But after the meeting, as five preachers, 
the driver, and two women, (one of whom was preg- 
nant,) were returning to Patrington in a cart, we had a 
narrow escape. The horse, taking fright at some gipsies 
encamped on the side of the road, rushed to the side of 
the hedge, and overturned us. My shoulder fell upon 
the horse's back, my legs between his belly and the 
shafts of the cart, and my head against the side of the 
dike. The pregnant woman was thrown over me, and 
she cried as she fell, " Lord, have mercy upon us." I 
expected that some of us would have broken limbs, and 
that others would be killed ; but, thank God ! but little 
harm befell any of us. Providentially the horse was 
stuck fast by the side of the hedge, where he lay until 
we were all rescued from peril. Several missionary 



318 LIFE OF 

meetings were held during the week in the Patrington 
branch, and were exceedingly good. Afterwards, I went 
to assist in holding missionary services at Scotter and 
Gainsborough. At the latter place the missionary ser- 
mons were preached, with great ability and divine power, 
by brother J. Flesher. After having held a meeting at 
Gainsborough, we went by the steamer down the Trent to 
Epworth, the birth-place of Wesley ; and when I arrived 
at the ferry, I found that the Epworth friends had pro- 
vided a small cart and an ass with which to convey me 
to the village. At two o'clock p.m. I preached a ser- 
mon ; and in the evening we had a famous missionary 
meeting, and the platform was well supplied with 
speakers, whose exertions in the holy cause greatly 
benefited the overflowing assembly. 

Our next appointment was at Scotter, where we held 
a meeting in the afternoon, and, by adjournment, in the 
evening ; and where a sermon of considerable power 
was preached by brother Sanderson. Having left Scot- 
ter, brother Howcroft preached at Kirton with grand 
effect ; and here, too, we held a public meeting. When 
I was called to speak I felt a little embarrassment, but, 
without reference to the chairman, I started to sing the 
hymn, " Mercy 's free," &c. The novelty of this pro- 
ceeding was exciting, and the divine influence experi- 
enced by the people was extraordinary. After this 
interesting meeting, I was entertained at the house of 
Mr. Travis ; whither, on the following morning, several 
people came to request me again to sing them " Mercy 's 
free;" and I complied. From Kirton we went to 
Messingham, and here we held a meeting ; but, being 
much fatigued with constant labour, I did not enjoy it 
so pleasantly as I had the former ones ; nevertheless, 
the people were satisfied. 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 319 

After the week's tour, I preached at the opening of a 
new chapel at Yaddlethorp, where the congregation was 
too large to be admitted into the chapel. Here I had a 
blessed time while raising up my Ebenezer in the name 
of the Lord. After finishing my service I rode back to 
Scotter, where I arrived just before preaching -time; and, 
as the people insisted on my taking the pulpit, to pre- 
vent giving offence, I consented. I felt very weak at 
the commencement of the service, but, as God came up 
to my help, I had a gracious time. "Praise the Lord! 
O my soul." 

The week following these occurrences, I went to the 
city of York, to attend a district meeting, and was kindly 

entertained by Mr. W 1, druggist. On the Sabbath 

we held a camp meeting on the race-ground, which was 
attended by very many people, who conducted them- 
selves respectfully. In the evening we had a glorious 
love-feast, at which good experience was spoken. On 
the Monday two missionary meetings were held ; before 
the evening one, brother T. preached a missionary ser- 
mon ; and on the Tuesday evening, by particular re- 
quest, Mr. J. Flesher preached a sermon of great force 
and influence. From York I went to the Sunderland 
district meeting, held at Darlington, which began on 
Saturday and closed on Monday. On the Sunday, I 
preached a preparatory sermon, and led a quarterly 
love-feast. On Monday night, brother Herod preached ; 
and on Tuesday we held a public meeting, which was 
interested by the instructive and powerful addresses of 
some of the delegates. The next Sabbath, I was at 
Barnard Castle, preaching on behalf of our missions. 
On Monday afternoon, we had a missionary sermon by 
brother W. Harland; and in the evening we held a 
public meeting, which was well attended and supported, 



320 LIFE OF 

the Wesleyans having given up their preaching service 
in order to be present with us. On Tuesday, I visited 
brother Burton, at Middridge ; and the next day, brother 
Harland, superintendent of Westgate Branch, took me 
in a cart to preach at Westgate. It was terrible to be 
jolted in a cart for nearly a day over hill and dale ! 
When we arrived it was preaching-time ; hence I had to 
step out of the cart into the pulpit. I was very unfit to 
officiate, but I discharged my duty, and the people were 
blessed. 

The next day I had to travel by the same convey- 
ance as on the preceding, and on an equally rugged road, 
to Barnard Castle. From this place we went to hold an 
evening's missionary meeting at Staindrop, where we 
dined with the servants of the Duke of Cleveland, who 
kindly showed us through Raby Castle, the seat of the 
duke. The interior of his Grace's seat is magnifi- 
cent, and the museum curious and rare. We purposed 
going through the gardens, but were prevented for lack 
of time. Our public meeting was interesting and well 
attended, though much rain fell. From the meeting 
a friend took me in his cart to Darlington, where I 
arrived at about twelve o'clock at night, drenched 
with rain, and nearly exhausted. 

The next day T went by coach to Leeds, and at 
night reached the hospitable abode of my old friend, 
Mr. Reynard, who has been a succourer of many as 
well as of myself. 

From Leeds I proceeded towards Tunstall, where, 
on the second day from my departure, I arrived safely, 
with all the accounts and documents of the district 
meetings which I had attended as the general com- 
mittee's delegate. I had soon to leave Tunstall, to 
attend the Conference at Bradford, in Yorkshire, which 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 321 

commenced its sittings on Friday, May 18, 1832, and 
terminated them on the Thursday following. The 
whole period of this Session of Conference was to me 
one of much mental exercise ; still it was pleasing to 
find that the Connexion was in a prosperous state, the 
increase for the year being upwards of four thousand. 
Several new regulations were made ; one of which was, 
that the Book-Room's concerns should be settled upon 
a trusteeship, for the benefit of the Connexion. 

The religious services were conducted with excel- 
lent order, and were uncommonly powerful. The 
camp meeting, on the Sunday, was attended by many 
thousands of people ; and on Monday evening brother 
Flesher preached with great satisfaction to an over- 
whelming congregation in the chapel. It was supposed 
that, in the prayer meeting which followed his sermon, 
about twenty souls were converted to God. 

Hull quarterly meeting for May, 1832, commenced 
on the 27th instant ; and it was prosperous, peaceful, 
and enterprising. On the Sunday preceding the quar- 
terly meeting, we held our yearly camp meeting, and a 
love-feast afterwards. Both services were good : at the 
latter the speaking was pointed, and accompanied with 
Divine unction ; and at a succeeding praying service 
one soul was set at liberty. On the Sunday following 
I preached in Mill-street chapel, and God shook some 
souls to their centre. 

The next Sabbath I was preaching anniversary 
sermons at Leeds, where several souls were brought 
into distress, and one or more into the enjoyment of 
peace through the Lamb's all-cleansing blood. 

After this service I proceeded to Staffordshire, and 
here I preached in our chapel, at Tunstall, on a Sun- 
day evening, and at Pitt's-hill on a Thursday evening. 
p 3 



322 LIFE OF 

On the latter evening the following words were my text: 
" Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none 
like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man ; one 
that feareth God and escheweth evil ? " Job i. 8. Whilst 
I was dwelling on the envy entertained by the devil and 
his agents against good men, suddenly (through some 
infernal power, I believe,) the stool on which I stood 
in the pulpit gave way, and I fell against the pulpit's 
door, which new open as I was falling ; but I caught 
hold of the pulpit's bible-board with my right hand, and 
recovered myself. Had the devil succeeded in throw- 
ing me out of the pulpit, I should probably have been 
killed, or made a cripple for the remainder of my life. 
Either of these consequences would have just suited 
Beelzebub ; but he broke his teeth in attempting to 
gnaw the file. I remained composed, continued preach- 
ing with all my might, beheld the power of God 
flowing upon the congregation, heard shouts of praise 
from every part of the chapel, and saw confusion 
take hold of the hosts of hell ! A few days after- 
wards I spoke at Burslem and Tunstall, and one person 
found the Lord. 

My next service was in aiding to re- open our chapel at 
Englesea Brook, which had been greatly improved by 
the insertion of a gallery. I preached three times, and 
Mr. Bateman once : the attendance was numerous, and, 
considering the size of the place, the collections un- 
common, amounting to 221. 

At Talk-o'-the-Hill, on the Sabbath following, I 
preached for the Sunday-school, and was very much 
pleased with the simplicity of the singing services, all 
connected therewith being plain and consistent with 
Christianity. From this place I went to Winster, in 
Derbyshire, to re-open a chapel. I preached three 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 323 

times, and had uncommon visits from the Lord. The 
collections were extremely good, as many rich people 
attended the services, and threw into the treasury of 
their abundance. 

My next engagement was to dedicate a temple to 
the service of Almighty God, at Kneighton, near Ash- 
bourne. I officiated on a Friday and the following 
Sunday ; but I had not the liberty and power which 1 
had experienced in the Winster services. The state of 
the weather was rather unfavourable, yet the congrega- 
tions were very large, and the contributions good. I 
lodged at the house of Mr. Smith, on the Friday and 
Saturday, but when I had finished my work on Sun- 
day evening, Mr. Pountain took me in a spring cart to 
his residence at Hulland. Having tarried a night with 
him, I went to Derby, and took a coach for Notting- 
ham, and proceeded thence to my favourite spot, Hull. 

Our circuit's quarterly meeting began on August 29, 
1832, and business was comfortably conducted ; our 
funds were well replenished, and, for the quarter, we 
had an increase of 100 souls. 

My next journey was to Scotter, to preach charity 
sermons. Here I had powerful visits from above ; and 
the Lord made bare his holy arm, amid large assemblies 
of precious souls. 

Leaving Scotter, I crossed the Trent, and spoke in 
our chapel, at West Ferry, to a crowded congregation. 
From this place a friend took me in a conveyance to 
Yaddlethorp, where I preached for the benefit of the 
chapel. The Lord was with us, indeed ; but, oh ! how 
glad should I have been to see the people more liberal 
than they were in helping his cause. Barrow and 
Goxhill were next the sharers of my toil ; and at the 



324 LIFE OF 

former place the labour was sweet and refreshing, but 
at the latter I felt as if ploughing upon a rock. 

Leaving Goxhill, I went to aid in holding a mission- 
ary meeting at (Nottingham ; and, considering that there 
were but three speakers, we received support much 
more ample than we expected. 

On the following Sabbath I preached twice in aid of 
Elloughton chapel, and I was in my full glory in the 
afternoon ; but in the evening was bitterly assailed by 
the inhabitants of the bottomless pit, who brought 
clouds of darkness on the whole assembly. 

On the Thursday following I attended a committee 
meeting, to which were submitted the circumstances of 
Beverley chapel. As it was in arrears for interest due 
to the mortgagee, the proposition was carried, that the 
trustees should meet those arrears by contributing 
equal sums. This measure soon produced a powerful 
effect, for the unwilling brethren made their escape, 
but the honourable remained, and bowed their shoul- 
ders to the burden. 

My next tour was to Preston, in Lancashire, where 
I was kindly received by Mr. Pomfret, who took me in 
his gig to Chorley, to preach two sermons for the 
chapel ; and we had a prosperous day. On Tuesday 
Mr. Pomfret took me twenty miles, to North Meaols, a 
mission belonging to Preston circuit. I preached to a 
mighty congregation, scores being unable to enter the 
chapel ; and the people were so much blessed, that they 
reluctantly disassembled. 

On Sunday, September 14, 1832, I preached in the 
morning and the evening, at Preston : the morning ser- 
vice was very glorious ; all hearts appeared to be en- 
gaged with the Lord ; and, after the evening's sermon, 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 325 

five souls professed to find redemption in the blood of 
Jesus. 

From Preston I went into Staffordshire, and with 
brother W., preached for the benefit of Wrine-hili 
chapel, with good liberty. 

October 28, 1832, I was engaged at Market Dray- 
ton, in behalf of its Sunday-school. The morning of 
the day was unfavourable, being rainy ; nevertheless, 
the people were liberal in their attendance and contri- 
butions. In the evening's prayer-meeting, which suc- 
ceeded the preaching service, there was a mighty stream 
of Divine influence, which forced some people to the 
ground ; but, alas ! soon this was displaced by dark- 
ness and confusion, Whilst some of the members of 
our society were falling down, some were dancing in 
the congregation, and some were praying aloud in the 
singers' pew, striking a table with their hands, and oc- 
casionally the plates containing the collection, causing 
others to increase the bustle by taking the plates away. 
Nor have we reached the climax of the disorderly move- 
ment ; for some persons, in their excitement, seized the 
tops of the pews, and tore some of them off; others 
stood staring with astonishment, at the conduct of the 
actors ; and the wicked, who crowded around the doors, 
began to curse and swear aloud. I laboured to arrest 
the wildness of the meeting, and to restore order, by 
exhorting believers ; but I was as unsuccessful as if I 
had tried with a word to still a tempest : this occasioned 
me much distress of mind. 

On the Sunday following I preached in behalf of 
Burslem chapel, as did sister Allen also : we had a suc- 
cessful day, and the work of God, which had been 
feeble, received new energy. 

On Sunday, October 11th, 1832, I preached at Bol- 



326 LIFE OF 

ton, where I was in partial bondage ; yet the people 
were blessed, one soul was set at liberty, and many 
believers were quickened. On the Monday evening I 
assisted four of my brethren to hold a missionary meet- 
ing ; and, during the whole of the service, a devotional 
feeling predominated. This was followed by excellent 
missionary meetings at Bury and Heywood : at the 
latter place a gentleman was present who had built our 
people a chapel, and who, besides having contributed 
liberally to the collection, manifested his friendship to 
our cause in divers other ways, which are remembered 
with gratitude. 

In a few days after I had left Lancashire, I preached 
missionary sermons at Beverley, and officiated at several 
Yorkshire villages in the neighbourhood of Hull. After- 
wards, I went to preach three sermons for Holbeck 
chapel, in Leeds circuit : the attendance was large, and 
one soul was saved. 

About the end of the year 1 832, I received a letter 
from TtJhstall, stating, that my wife's health was so 
much worse than it had been as to render my presence 
desirable. I believed that an important event was ap- 
proaching ; but having engaged to improve the death of 
the late Mrs. Sugden, I was in a strait, whether I must 
obtain a substitute, or defer going to Tunstall till after 
my engagement had been fulfilled. I therefore wrote to 
Tunstall, to inquire if danger was so near as to require 
my immediate presence, stating that I should depart 
immediately if I received a reply in the affirmative. 
But, how sudden ! I received the answer, that my wife 
had departed this life. This information was painful to 
me, as I was deprived of the opportunity of supporting 
her in her last hours. I immediately took a coach, and 
arrived at Tunstall late at night — to me a gloomy night ! 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 327 

On the following morning, however, my mind was greatly 
relieved, having been informed by brothers Nixon and 
Hancock, that they had no doubt of the final safety of 
her for whose departure I had to mourn. Here I may 
be allowed to give a few facts of my companionship 
with the partner of many of my joys and sorrows, whose 
remains were committed to the dust, in Tunstall new 
churchyard, on Jan. 15th, 1833, in the 53rd year of 
her age. 

We were united in the bonds of wedlock at New- 
castle-under-Line, on the 28th of July, 1800; and she 
was converted to God in the commencement of the year 
1805. Having already stated some circumstances of 
her conversion, I need not repeat them. Her dispo- 
sition was naturally placid, and, in her habits, she was 
industrious and careful. When I was converted she 
did not see the necessity of being saved, but she knelt 
with me at my family altar, partly to oblige me, and 
partly from the fear that, if I did not continue to live 
religiously, I might relapse into conduct as wild and 
reckless as that on account of which she had been a 
sufferer. But, blessed be God! he soon showed her the 
need of praying in earnest for the salvation of her soul, 
and then granted her the blessing whilst she was plead- 
ing for it in secret. After having received the assurance 
that her transgressions were forgiven, she came to me 
and said, " I know the Lord has pardoned me as well 
as he has pardoned thee !" 

Afterwards we instituted prayer, band, class, and local 
preachers' meetings in our house, and several happy 
years passed away without any interruption or privation 
of each other's society. But by and by I was called 
of God to leave the world and become a missionary to 
my countrymen : then there was an interruption of con- 



328 LIFE OF 

jugal and domestic comfort which was painful to both 
of us, but especially to my wife, who felt her depriva- 
tions with great sensibility. When I was called to leave 
her for long periods, and was exposed to great hardships 
and sufferings in my missionary labours, her distress 
was often extreme ; but the Lord came to her help in 
an extraordinary manner, and enabled her to bear her 
trials with great calmness and resignation. 

On one occasion when I had to take my leave of her 
(the time when I set off to mission Hull), she was very 
downcast; and, after I had bidden her adieu, her mind 
sunk into distress which was nearly insupportable. She 
fell down before the Lord, and cried to him to take me 
from her heart, assured that, if he did not, life would be 
intolerable in my absence. The Lord answered her 
prayer, and the manifestations of his power and glory 
were so great that she shouted for joy, and told a friend, 
that her confidence and joy in the Lord were such, that, 
if she had had as many husbands as Solomon had had 
wives, she could have freely given them all up to the 
Lord Jesus. 

In a short time afterwards we disposed of our furni- 
ture, and ceased housekeeping at Tun stall ; then she 
removed to Hull, where, as I was engaged missioning 
the neighbouring towns and villages, I had frequent 
opportunities of being with her. She was then in a 
peaceful and devoted state of mind, and was very useful 
in the work of the Lord. The missionary work con- 
tinued to prosper, and, aided by my fellow-labourers, I 
extended it northward into the counties of Durham, 
Northumberland, and Cumberland. On this account my 
wife and I resolved to take lodgings at Darlington, think- 
ing that we should more frequently have the benefit of 
each other's society than we could were she to remain at 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 329 

Hull. But all ! how uncertain are mortals' plans ! Soon 
did there appear in the conduct of my beloved partner 
those symptoms of mental derangement which enhanced 
the trials and difficulties of my life. I had purposed, 
after having secured lodgings, to direct her by letter 
when to come to Darlington ; but, unknown to me, she 
had been in the town a week, and even present at a 
Sunday evening's service, ere the letter was sent to her ; 
and then, unknown to me, she went to Newcastle-upon- 
Tyne. My astonishment was indeed great when I re- 
ceived a letter from a friend there informing me that she 
was at his house. 

Her case gradually became such, that it was necessary 
for particular care to be taken of her. Accordingly she 
was removed to the abode of her parents in Stafford- 
shire. Her distressing and protracted affliction was to 
me painful ; but, thanks be to God ! before life closed, 
her mind arose nearly to its former strength ; she was 
enabled to put her confidence in the Lord, and her end 
was peace. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

Resumes his journal — Secret pleadings and souls saved — Great increase 
— District meetings and Conference — Souls saved — Occasional ser- 
vices—Souls saved — Settles disputes — Anniversaries, &c. — Visits 
London — Escapes— Preaches on a coach — Visits Cornwall, a great 
work — Deaths of horses, &c. — Returns — Step-mother and drowned 
daughter — Arrives at Hull — Quarterly meeting — Renews his jour- 
neys — Souls saved — His second marriage — Conference — Occasional 
services — Souls saved — Funeral sermon — Cholera — Occasional ser- 
vices — Accident — Newcastle-upon-Tyne anniversary — Hull mission- 
ary meeting — Chapel opening — Visits London — Circuit's increase — 
Answer to prayer — Tunstall anniversary — Conference camp-meeting, 
many souls saved — Hull camp-meeting, souls saved — Stage-coach 
conversation — Moneyash chapel opening. 

In resuming my journal, I may observe, that I attended 
the quarterly meeting at Hull, in March 1833, and, on 
the Sabbath previous thereto, preached and led a love- 
feast. After the love-feast there was held a prayer 
meeting, at which several souls were set at liberty. In- 
deed, I was confident that God would make bare his 
holy arm ; for, while pleading with him in secret before 
I entered into the public services of the day, he assured 
me that his salvation would go forth, and my confidence 
remained unshaken till it gave place to sight. Our 
circuit's affairs were very prosperous ; for when the ac- 
counts were closed, we found that a nice balance was in 
our favour, and that we had, what was still better, an 
increase of 546 members for the year. 

On the Sabbath-day following, I aided to hold a 
missionary meeting at Elloughton, and preached at 



LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 331 

Ferriby ; the attendance was good, and the Divine pre- 
sence was graciously felt. 

On the next Sunday I preached twice at Cottingham, 
and took hold of God's strength for the raising of his 
work. I next proceeded to Newcastle-upon-Tyne to 
attend a district meeting as a general committee dele- 
gate. The meeting was comfortable, with the exception 
of a little altercation, which took place in the stationing 
of some of the preachers ; and it was followed by the 
holding of missionary services, at which I felt much 
freedom of soul, and much celestial power. 

Leaving the north, I went to a district meeting held 
at Silsden. Here the religious services were full of 
Divine unction, and the district business was readily 
and peacefully despatched. On the Sunday evening I 
had a glorious visit from on high, and two souls were 
set at liberty. A missionary meeting was held at Skip- 
ton in Craven, in a large room fitted up for a preaching- 
house ; and I was happy to find that, through the 
diligence of the society, the work of the Lord was pro- 
gressing. 

From Craven I journeyed to Tunstall to preach; and 
thence to Sunderland, to be present at the Conference 
of 1833. The religious services, connected with this 
Conference, were extraordinary — every morning and 
evening a camp meeting was held about a mile out of 
the town ; and it was supposed that about ten thou- 
sand people were present at the Sunday's one. There 
were two preaching-stands ; and at one of these I 
spoke once, and then departed to South Shields to 
preach a missionary sermon. 

A missionary meeting was held at Sunderland on 
Tuesday, and, by adjournment, on Wednesday evenings. 
The chapel was much crowded, and the speaking was 



832 LIFE OF 

energetic. On Thursday evening I preached, and 
several souls professed to find the Lord : thus, the 
services of the Conference had a glorious termination. 

From Sunderland I went to Frosterly in Weardale, 
and preached there on a Sunday morning, and in the 
evening, at Wolsingham ; and I trust the powerful in- 
fluences which attended my labours will be joyfully re- 
membered for ever. On the Monday a public meeting 
was held at the latter place, and one soul was saved. 
On Tuesday I preached at Staindrop, and then assisted 
to hold a public meeting ; and on the three following 
days I attended public meetings at Westgate, Nent- 
head, and Alston, where the Lord baptized the speakers 
and the hearers. 

After these meetings I attended Hull circuit's 
quarterly meeting, and was glad to find that we had 
sufficient funds to meet demands ; and an increase, for 
the quarter, of 101 members. 

We held our annual camp meeting on the Dock- 
green ; and, at the evening's love-feast, several souls 
were saved. 

In July 1833, I went to Liverpool to aid brother J. P. 
in embarking as a missionary to Canada in British North 
America ; and, by the Great Britain, he and his family 
set sail on the 6th instant. For some weeks after- 
wards, I preached or attended a missionary meeting at 
the following places respectively (witnessing at some of 
them the conversion of sinners) — Liverpool, Kippax, 
North Ferriby, Ay ton, Snainton, Scarborough, Flixton, 
Pocklington, Swanland, and Burnley. 

Having gone from the last place to Manchester, I 
was met by Mr. James Gill, who had brought a con- 
veyance to take me to Silsden, a distance of forty 
miles, to endeavour to settle some unpleasant matters 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 333 

which had arisen in the circuit. Though I was much 
jaded with labour, yet as the matters in question were 
peculiar and important, I accompanied him. After a 
tedious journey, performed in storms of wind and rain, 
we arrived in the evening; then assembled a com- 
mittee, and were enabled to settle the pending disputes 
at about twelve o'clock at night. 

On the day following I left Silsden, and my journey 
was rendered somewhat unpleasant by having to sit 
behind an unmanageable horse, and ride through tor- 
rents of rain. On the second day after my departure, 
I reached Stockport, where I was kindly received by 
Mr. Francis Beeston ; and on the Sabbath, September 
the 2nd, 1833, I preached for the benefit of the Sunday- 
school. Every hearer was admitted to the services by 
showing, on entering the chapel, a printed ticket which 
had been purchased of one of the officers. While this 
system secured a good collection, it was also perfectly 
satisfactory to the people. 

From Stockport I went to Tunstall, and enjoyed the 
affectionate society of my friends for two days ; after- 
wards departing to Hull, to assist in the business of its 
quarterly meeting for September, 1833. Peace per- 
vaded the sittings of each day ; funds were sufficient to 
meet demands, and we had an increase of members. 
Praise the Lord, O my soul ! 

For several following days I was employed in public 
services at EUoughton, (Nottingham, and Bridlington- 
Quay. In returning by coach from the last place to 
Hull, a serious accident was narrowly escaped. Our 
driver, attempting to pass an opposition coach, drove 
ours upon a large heap of stones, where we stuck fast. 
One of the horses broke some of his harness, and ran 



334 LIFE OF 

off; but, providentially, none of the passengers were 
hart. 

Soon I was called to preach in our chapel in Blue- 
gate-fields, London ; and here I had the pleasure of 
recognising many old friends whom I had known some 
years previously, and some of them saluted me as their 
spiritual father. 

From London I went by a night coach to Redruth, 
in Cornwall. Economy led me to travel outside the 
coach ; and as the night was very cold and wet, and 
the coachman uncivil withal, I had a very unpleasant 
journey. Stopping to change horses at Andover, 
about midnight, the coachman announced that coffee 
was prepared for the passengers who wished to take 
any. I alighted, as did my fellow passengers, and a 
gentleman asked me to take a cup of coffee with him ; 
whereupon the coachman began to swear, and went 
out to the coach. I immediately followed ; and as I 
was ascending the coach, he drove off without giving 
any notice, and the ladder instantly fell from under 
my feet, allowing me but a narrow escapement from 
falling under the coach ; and the other passengers had 
to run some distance before he would stop to take 
them up. When we reached Salisbury, he had the 
courage to say to me, " Please to remember the coach- 
man." I told him that I should certainly remember 
him, but, on account of his bad conduct, should not 
give him a farthing. My reply excited his wrath, 
which he evinced by abusive language ; but I appeased 
him by threatening to have him arraigned before a 
magistrate, if his abuse ceased not. Being unwell, I 
could take nothing to eat till our arrival in Exeter ; 
and during the hours for repose, before my departure 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 335 

thence, I could not sleep ; hence my predicament was 
far from being pleasant. 

Before I commenced the next day's journey I took 
breakfast at a stall in the street, among some plough- 
boys and others ; my bill of fare was three-halfpence. 
Not long after I had taken my seat on the coach, I 
made some remarks about religion, and these brought me 
into collision with a sceptic and a Quaker. The sceptic 
said, he did not believe that Jesus Christ was God. I 
told him, if he continued not to believe he would never 
be saved. Then the Quaker remarked, that he did not 
approve of one set of people condemning another. I 
assured him it was not I, but the Bible, that condemned 
individuals who did not believe in the Divinity of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. Then he replied, that, in his opinion, 
if a man did good works there was no doubt of his being 
saved. I asked, if good works sprang from the grace of 
Jesus Christ in the heart ? and if they did, how a man, 
destitute of this grace, could perform them acceptably to 
God ? " Are not the Unitarians good people ?" said 
he ; " and do they not perform good works ? and yet 
they disbelieve the Divinity of Christ." I said, that, 
according to many of the declarations of Scripture, 
such individuals could not be in a state of salvation. 
The sceptic remarked, that there was a religious sect 
that believed, whatever good works men might do they 
would be of no avail to persons who had been reprobated 
from eternity. I told him, I believed that God willed 
all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the 
truth ; and that the reason why men were not saved, 
was their unwillingness — that they might be saved if 
they would, as God was ready to save always, even 
while I was speaking. " Well," replied the sceptic, " I 
think there is something in man that will live when the 



336 LIFE OF 

body is dead." After I had proposed a query which 
had silenced the Quaker (who had tried to nullify my 
efforts with the infidel) 1 said, if the passengers were 
agreeable, I would, in a few words, explain what religion 
was, and what it did for people who enjoyed it. All 
having assented to my offer, I stated rather copiously 
the guilt of man, his salvation by Christ, the way of 
faith, and the nature of heartfelt religion. All the pas- 
sengers were very attentive, and the sceptic was con- 
siderably pensive and thoughtful. The Lord blessed 
me with facility of recollection and liberty of speech, 
enabling me to continue my discourse until the coach 
reached Plymouth, where my two friends ended their 
journey. From what had transpired, I had a much 
better opinion of the sceptic than of the Quaker. 

When I reached Redruth I was very unwell, through 
the tediousness and coldness of my journey. 

On October 27th, 1833, I preached in Redruth chapel, 
which was excessively crowded, and the melting influ- 
ence of God's Spirit was generally experienced. 

On Tuesday evening I spoke again, and several per- 
sons were brought into extreme distress through the 
burden of their sins ; one of whom found redemption 
the next day. 

On the Sunday following I preached twice — many 
persons cried for mercy, and four obtained it. 

On the evening of Tuesday following I had my full 
glory, many sinners were in distress, and some of them 
believed and were saved. 

After these services thirteen persons joined sister 
Landers's class, and three the preacher's class. On 
Saturday at noon we held a prayer meeting, at which 
one woman was saved. 

On Sunday, November the 10th, I preached and 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 337 

made collections for Redruth chapel, and on Monday- 
evening brother Richards preached ; and many persons 
were brought into distress, several of whom obtained 
salvation. At the conclusion of the last service brother 
Richards formed a new class of ten members. On 
Tuesday evening, the 12th, I preached again ; and on 
Wednesday formed a new class, to meet at the house of 
Mr. Stephen Mitchell, whose wife became a member, 
and then aided in supporting and extending the work of 
God in her neighbourhood. 

After taking tea one day with a family residing at 
Redruth, I began to pray, brother Driffield soon uniting 
with me, and three persons cried aloud for mercy, who, 
ere long, entered into the rest of the people of God. I 
was much interested in the case of one of these indivi- 
duals, a female : when she began to seek for mercy, she 
uttered fervently the words, "Lord, save me;" then, 
feeling the approachings of Divine help, she changed 
her form of expression, and said, " Lord, thou wilt save 
me !" and finally, she exclaimed repeatedly, " Lord, 
thou hast saved me ;" thus she received salvation. O, 
what glory there is in the simple exercise of faith, in 
laying hold of God, and receiving the atonement ! In 
about two months the Lord gave us an increase of about 
two hundred souls. To him be all the glory. 

Having journeyed to Falmouth, I was entertained at 
an inn by a landlord and his wife, who were converted, 
and had become members of our society. Here I 
preached thrice in our chapel, which stands upon a hill, 
and commands a beautiful view of the sea, and led a 
love-feast, at which the speaking was savoury, pointed, 
and interesting ; and good was done. 

I next spoke at Perrin, a village two miles distant. 
The chapel here being private property, our people had 
Q 



338 LIFE OF 

once been turned out of it, and it was converted into a 
stable ; but as the horses which stood in it frequently 
died, the occupants concluded that God was grieved at 
our having been deprived of it ; consequently it was re- 
converted into a chapel, and in it the work of God lived 
and prospered. 

On the next evening I preached at St. Day's, in the 
Baptist chapel, our own not being large enough to ac- 
commodate the people. I had a glorious time ; but, 
fearing that a prayer-meeting, conducted Primitive Me- 
thodistically, would give offence to the people who had 
lent us the chapel, I refrained from holding one, and, 
perhaps, on this account no visible conversions took 
place. O the worth of prayer-meetings ! After the 
service, brother Driffield and I were entertained for the 
night at the house of a friend residing not far from the 
chapel. Family- worship being over, we were shown to 
bed ; and, in passing a room at the foot of the stairs, I 
beheld the appearance of a man, as if sitting to write. 
I asked brother Driffield who he was. He replied, that 
there was not a man in the room alluded to. I assured 
him there was, for I had seen him sitting at a table 
writing, having a candle burning before him. He asked 
me how the man was dressed ; and, after I had told him, 
he said the sight was an apparition, that the master of 
the house had died some time previously, and that the two 
sons were disputing at law about the will. I requested 
him to take the candle, and to look whether there was 
any person in the room answering the description I had 
given ; he looked, but could see nothing resembling a 
human being. I felt certain, however, that I had actu- 
ally seen what I had related. 

In the morning, I asked the mistress if there was any 
person in the room at the bottom of the stairs when we 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 339 

retired on the previous night. She replied, there was 
not to her knowledge. This was strange. I was after- 
wards informed, that, before the master had died, the 
family could hardly live with him, as he usually cursed 
and swore in a manner that was frightful. This affair I 
must leave, assured that the last great day alone will 
declare many things which now appear strange and in- 
explicable. 

After leaving the house, brother Driffield accompa- 
nied me to see a Mr. Jones, a Wesleyan travelling 
preacher. We were glad to see each other, for we had 
been brought up at the same trade, that of potters, and 
in the same locality in Staffordshire, and had not seen 
each other for twenty- four years. In the course of con- 
versation, he reminded me of many circumstances of our 
early days which I had nearly forgotten. One was, that 
in one of our tract-distributings we held a meeting, when 
two drunken men entered the house where we were wor- 
shipping, and mocked me ; but that they came after- 
wards to acknowledge their wicked behaviour towards 
God and us. Other matters affecting by-gone days 
were related, which caused reciprocity of pleasure at 
our interview. 

On Sunday, Nov. 24th, I preached at the Downs in 
the morning, and at St. Austell in the evening; and at 
the latter place two souls were converted. 

On Monday, as I travelled in a van towards York- 
shire, Lostwithiel, through which the van passed, was 
in confusion on account of a publican's daughter, who 
had been ill-used by her step-mother, having drowned 
herself. She had risen early in the morning to help the 
servant to wash ; but ah ! she unfortunately yielded to 
temptation, and, leaving the house, plunged her body 
into a watery deep and her soul into eternity. This 
q2 



340 LIFE OF 

event furnished me with a text, from which I preached 
to the passengers ; and I prayed that God would alarm 
and save the parents of the poor girl and the inhabitants 
of the town. In this journey, I preached at Exeter and 
Bristol ; and at the latter place I stopped a night with 
our missionaries, and found their lodgings to consist of 
one small room, and their domestic arrangements to be 
like those which I had observed when missioning in 
the infancy of the connexion, for they made their own 
bed, cleaned their own room, and cooked their own 
victuals, &c. 

After weathering the cold of my long and tedious 
journey, I arrived safely at Hull ; and on December 
10th, 1833, we held our circuit's quarterly-meeting. 
Our pecuniary circumstances were pretty favourable, but 
we were sorry to find that our three months' increase 
of members was only forty. 

On the 15th I preached at Hessle, and on the 19th 
and 22nd at Hull ; and, after the last preaching-service, 
three souls were converted. 

On Christmas-day, 1833, I preached at Goxhill, in 
Lincolnshire, where the Lord's work was progressing 
sweetly ; and at the close of the year, at Hull, about the 
barren fig-tree, when the Lord searched the audience from 
the topmost twig to the deepest offshoot of the roots. 

On Feb. 8th, 1834, I preached charity- sermons at 
Pontefract, where I was kindly entertained by Mr. 
Horner : the services were well attended, and the col- 
lections larger than on any former occasion. 

I went thence to Tunstall, and, in the name of God, 
proclaimed the tidings of salvation to my town's-people ; 
and then departed for Whitehaven, where, after having 
preached in Mount Pleasant church, the Lord gave 
me twelve souls. 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 341 

On the day after I had preached at Whitehaven, I 
aided in holding a missionary meeting at Workington ; 
and this meeting was followed by a prayer-meeting, at 
which eight souls were delivered from Satan. We next 
held a public meeting at Harrington, and I regret that 
a trustees' meeting followed, for my conviction was, 
that if a prayer-meeting had been held instead, souls 
would have been saved. 

On Sunday, February 23rd, I preached anniversary 
sermons for Quarry-hill chapel, at Leeds, and one soul 
was saved. 

On Tuesday, February 25, 1834, I entered into the 
engagements of matrimony with Eleanor Temperton. 
The marriage ceremony was performed in Sculcotes 
church, by the curate, Mr. Ward. As some people 
may inquire why I took this step, I answer, because I 
thought a married life preferable to widowhood ; and 
that it was God's will that such a life should be mine. 
This event took place in the fifty-third year of my age ; 
and she who became my wife was about the same age. 
Till the conference approached I was engaged in pub- 
lic services at Hull, Barrow, Swanland, and in Drif- 
field branch of Hull circuit, &c. 

On the 20th of June, 1834, brother Flesher and I 
started for the conference, to be held at Birmingham. 
On the 22nd the preachers' meeting began, and some 
alterations were made in the rules of the preachers' 
fund ; but the business was done in harmony and peace. 
The conference began on the 23rd, and ended on the 
30th instant. It was, without exception, the best con- 
ference I ever attended ; for peace was maintained 
throughout, although there was a considerable portion 
of disputation. 

On Sunday, the 25th instant, the camp-meeting day, 



342 LIFE OF 

we sang through the streets to the Bull-ring ; and here 
brother B. preached a sermon. We then sang to the 
camp-ground ; and truly the Lord was in the midst of 
us to bless us. Six sermons were preached in the fore- 
noon, by brothers W., Morgan, Hallam, Turner, 
Flesher, and myself. I was endued with considerable 
liberty, and cries for mercy broke forth. In the after- 
noon the concourse of people was so great that we were 
obliged to have two preaching-stands. Brothers H. and 
J. B. were appointed to conduct the services held at 
one, and brother Garner and I, those held at the other ; 
so that there were delivered about ten sermons, besides 
the holding of praying-services. At the evening's love- 
feast many souls were converted. After the business 
of the conference closed, I and a few friends were 
asked to the house of a person residing in the vicinity 
of the town, that we might enjoy the breezes of a 
country air, and hereby recover our strength. Our host 
gave me a half-pint glass mug, which had been made of 
sand from Mow-hill, where our first camp meeting 
was held. This present I highly prized. 

From Birmingham I went to Sheffield, to preach, and 
to aid in holding a missionary meeting : and, thank 
God, the meeting was good, and was followed by a 
prayer-meeting, at which several souls were saved. 

My labours were next devoted to Lincoln, Horn- 
castle, Swinefleet, RawclifF, Scotter, Grimsby, Swan- 
land, and Bridlington; where they were more or less 
owned of God, to the benefit of his people, and the sal- 
vation of souls. 

November 12, 1834, I improved the death of Mrs. 
Beecroft, in Mill- street chapel, at Hull ; the assembly 
was great, and several, as I was afterwards informed, 
received good to their souls. 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 343 

Mrs. Beecroft was born at Newland, in 1770, of re- 
spectable parents. Her father was a Baptist, and her 
mother a Wesleyan. Soon after I came to Hull as 
a missionary, she and her mother were led through 
curiosity to hear me and my colleagues in the Old Fac- 
tory, occupied by us as a preaching room. The daughter 
was awakened under John Harrison, one of my col- 
leagues, and was released from spiritual bondage under 
John Verity, while he was preaching about the twelve 
baskets of fragments. Her life was afterwards devoted 
to God. Her husband, who had a small farm in the 
neighbourhood of Hull, was unsteady, which occasioned 
her grief of mind ; but she bore the trials peculiar to 
her station with Christian fortitude. It was her custom 
to set apart half an hour after dinner, twice a- week, for 
singing and praying with her servants and work-people. 
Her attendance at the means of grace was constant, and 
her connexion with our society for fourteen years was 
unbroken. Her liberality in supporting the cause of 
God, the sick, and the poor, was noble. She was seized 
with her last affliction as she was proceeding to the 
house of God, and believed it to be the cholera, and 
that she should die. When she was informed that an 
individual had died of the disease the day before, she 
replied, " Yes, and it may be my turn to die to- 
morrow ;" and such it was. 

Before she expired, when asked by her attendants 
if she was happy, she replied, " I am ; I am confi- 
dent I am going to Jesus." And notwithstanding the 
agonies of her affliction, she broke forth into a rapture 
of praise, just before life ceased, and then fell asleep in 
the arms of Jesus, October 28, 1834, in the sixty- 
fourth year of her age. " Blessed are the dead that die 
in the Lord." 



344 LIFE OF 

At Hull the cholera assailed all ranks and ages, from 
persons in advanced life, lying on their couches, to 
children going to school. But sinners appeared awfully 
hardened in the midst of God's judgments ; for, sur- 
rounded with death and distress, funeral processions, 
and other signs of sorrow, respectable sinners, as I may 
call them, were holding " musical festivals" and " fancy 
balls." Will not God be avenged on a people like 
this ? In certain cases which occurred, mercy was 
strikingly mingled with judgment. One wicked young 
man, who had been married but a short time, was 
arrested, and, enduring the agonies of the horrible 
malady, he cried aloud for mercy, while his wife was 
crying aloud in the pangs of child-birth. It is believed, 
how T ever, that before the plague closed his life he 
obtained the forgiveness of his sins, for he praised 
God even when enduring heavy bodily pain. Lo ! a 
brand plucked from the burning. Two little children 
were seized with the prevailing malady when on their 
way from school, and were corpses in a few hours ; and 
in the street in which I resided a woman was seized 
and suddenly laid prostrate on the ground. Also, a 
member of our society, Mrs. Cook, who had recently 
buried a child, was seized, and she, too, suddenly 
expired ; but in death she shouted, " Glory !" 

At Barrow, Goxhill, Barton, and Cottingham, I 
preached and aided at public meetings with unusual 
unction ; and then went to preach anniversary sermons 
at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. I had purposed going by a 
steamer from Hull ; but soon after I had gone on 
board, the boiler suddenly burst, when a boy was 
killed, and two men were much scalded ; but I escaped 
unhurt. Praise the Lord, O my soul. Having to 
travel all night on the outside of a coach, I caught a 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 345 

severe cold ; but this was a trifle to a Primitive 
Methodist preacher. I was entertained by Mr. Coppock, 
whose family feared going to the chapel on account of 
an accident which had recently occurred therein. A 
part of the ceiling of the chapel had fallen during the 
performance of a religious service, and hereby the 
people had been so much alarmed that some had 
jumped over the pews, and others out at the windows ; 
yet none were seriously hurt. On examining the cause 
of this affair, it was ascertained that greater danger 
existed than was apprehended, and that, in addition to 
the falling of part of the ceiling, the gallery had shrunk 
four inches. Workmen were immediately employed 
to put the chapel into a state of security. Their 
work was completed before I preached, and we had 
good attendance, much Divine influence, and liberal 
collections. 

On the evenings of December the 11th and 12th I 
attended missionary meetings at Hull. We had a 
powerful array of advocates, and overwhelming con- 
gregations. Also, many trinkets were sent up to the 
platform, such as churches, chapels, mills, banks, 
camels, asses, lambs, dogs, &c, filled or loaded with 
money which the friends had collected for the mis- 
sionary cause. These, and the remarks made thereon 
by the speakers, produced much excitement and in- 
terest, especially among our young friends and sup- 
porters. 

On the following week I preached and attended 
powerful missionary services at Bridlington- Quay, 
Bridlington, Flamborough, and Mafferton. 

On February the 7th, 1835, I opened a new chapel 
at Tetney, in Lincolnshire, where the congregations 
were large, and one soul was saved. 
q3 



346 LIFE OF 

I journeyed from thence to Grimsby the next day, 
hut was prevented from proceeding to Hull by a gale, on 
account of which the captain of the steamer declined 
going out of harbour. At Grimsby three houses 
were blown down ; and as I stood near the pier, 
I heard the engineer of the packet say that his house 
had just been blown down, and that his children, 
who were in bed at the time, had narrowly escaped 
destruction. 

On Feb. the 27th I left Hull for London, in order to 
take the broken-down circuit of the latter place once more 
under the wing of Hull circuit. The preachers sta- 
tioned in London were brothers Oscroft, Coulson, and 
Bland, and the number of members was 294. On the 
sabbath after my arrival I preached at Bluegate-fields ; 
and on the Monday I had to advance, on the part of 
Hull circuit, \6L, to pay the preachers' deficient sala- 
ries. The chief of the circuit was in a state of decay, 
the chapel being involved, and most of the places in a 
shattered condition. After preaching several times, 
and arranging for the taking of the circuit, I returned 
to Hull, to communicate the result of my mission 
to our March quarterly meeting for 1835. At this 
meeting we found that our year's increase of members 
was 470. We decided for Alston to become a circuit ; 
and without it, the parent circuit had 4,629 members. 

From Hull I went to Driffield, to assist in holding 
missionary services here and at Frodingham and Mid- 
dleton ; and I was glad to see that the work of the 
Lord was progressing at all the places. At one of our 
quarterly meetings for Hull circuit, brother T. Holliday 
announced that he had ventured to believe that God 
would grant him and his colleagues a certain number 
of souls during the next quarter. I encouraged him 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 347 

to hold fast his faith, assuring him that he should have 
an interest in my prayers and faith ; and at the quar- 
ter's end he found that the Lord had granted the exact 
number for which he had prayed and believed ! 

On May the 15th I went to Tunstall, to preach a 
sermon for its Sunday-school, and attend our con- 
nexional conference. Brother Flesher preached in the 
afternoon, and I in the evening. The collections after 
the sermons were 561. ; and, what was still better, 
several souls were converted. Brother Flesher preached 
on Monday evening, and collected 12Z. 

The preachers' yearly meeting was held on the 21st 
of May, and the sittings of the conference began on the 
22nd. On the 24th the conference camp meeting was 
held in afield belonging to brother Joseph Nixon, where 
we had three preaching-stands. I was appointed to occupy 
one with brother Hallam and W. Cries for mercy were 
frequently uttered among the people ; and it was said 
that at our stand twenty-five souls were saved. Brother 
Hallam led the evening's love-feast, and I think it was 
the best I had ever attended. The glory of the Lord 
seemed to fill the chapel ; and the souls supposed to be 
saved at this service, and at the camp-meeting, were 
about one hundred. On Monday, May the 27th, the 
conference terminated, and the total number of mem- 
bers in the Connexion, was 56,649, the increase for 
the year being 4,772, besides supplying the vacancies 
occasioned by removals, fallings away, and the departure 
of 587 to the eternal world. 

On Sunday, June 17th, I joined my brethren and 
fellow-labourers in Hull circuit, to hold our annual 
camp meeting on the Dock-green. We sang through 
the streets to the market-place, and there held a prayer- 
meeting. The crowds that attended, of all ranks, were 



348 LIFE OF 

exceedingly large, attentive, and serious. At the love- 
feast, held in the evening, heaven and hell had a 
mighty conflict ; but, hosannah ! hell was vanquished, 
and about twenty souls were delivered from spiritual 
bondage. June 21st, I preached at Hessle, and ad- 
ministered the Lord's supper. It was a melting occa- 
sion ; the people of God rejoiced with exceeding joy. 

On July 19th, I went to Moneyash to assist in open- 
ing a new chapel ; and, in the journey, some wicked 
coach-passengers, supposing me to be a preacher, began 
to make sport about the Wesleyan preachers, then as- 
sembled in conference at Sheffield, and to say, that 
they supposed ducks and green pease would be very 
dear at Sheffield, as Methodist preachers were very fond 
of them. I replied, that in my opinion, if the preachers 
were good men, the Lord, the Proprietor of all things, 
would not object to their having ducks and green pease, or 
any other good thing, because they were the rightful heirs 
of the earth and its bounties ; whereas, the wicked were 
rebels and usurpers. One of them then replied, accom- 
panying his remarks with oaths. To this man I 
then directed my attention, and told him that the 
practice of swearing was very unpolite — that discourse 
was not embellished with oaths, but disfigured ; and 
that, if he did not mend his manners, and give his heart 
to the Lord, he would fare very badly in the eternal 
world. I then waited inwardly on the Lord, praying 
that he would pierce the swearer with conviction ; and 
when I began again to address the man, he said I had 
better cease, for my talk made him feel very queerly. 
I replied, " You will feel more queerly yet, if you 
don't alter your course." When the coach stopped, this 
individual, to escape me, took a seat on the front of the 
coach. Poor sinner, he could not stand the fire ! 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 349 

On ray arrival at Moneyash, I remembered that, 
when I was carnal, I stopped a night at one of its public- 
houses, in company with my first wife, in 1802. I 
remembered too, that I asked the landlady what I had 
to pay for our night's lodging and the refreshment we 
had had, and that, when she had named the sum, I 
offered her a dollar in payment, which was refused, not 
being English coin, and that a gentleman in the house, 
perceiving my difficulty, said he would discharge all my 
expenses, Wonderful ! he was to me a friend in need. 
This affair I related to the congregation while preach- 
ing, and said, that I did not think, when thus difficultly 
situated at the village thirty-three years back, I should 
ever visit it to open a new chapel. The chapel was 
excessively crowded, many people having come a 
distance of fourteen miles to hear me ; and they did not 
come in vain ; for God blessed them abundantly. 

I was very glad to find, associated with the chapel, 
many precious souls knit together in bonds of Christian 
fellowship. With the experience of Joshua Milling- 
ham, one of the class leaders, I was very much in- 
terested. He told me that he was first awakened 
in a public-house, whilst in a state of intoxication, and 
surrounded with many of his wicked companions ; that 
he fell down upon his knees before them, and cried for 
mercy ; and that several of them were so affected, that 
they wept around him ; that two of them assisted him 
to go home; and that a few days afterwards, whilst 
working with some men in a marble quarry, he believed 
that God would save him, and then felt that his soul 
was at liberty. He remained in the way to heaven, 
rejoicing continually, and was an active and a useful 
member of the church of Jesus Christ. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

Visits Lincolnshire — A parson and a rabble pull down a schoolroom- 
Chapel built — Souls saved— Opens Lepton chapel — Blind fiddler — 
Fire extinguished — New year — Souls saved — Hull Mill-street 
chapel — Goole chapel opening — Lynn conference camp-meeting — 
Hull quarterly-meeting and camp-meeting — Many safed — Sheffield 
chapel opening — Vicar of Fulstow — A collector at the chapel open- 
ing—Morning visit — Tour to the south — Hull circuit's increase — 
Present salvation — District-meeting — Good News — Sheffield con- 
ference — Hull camp-meeting — Dreadful event, and narrow escape — 
Thunder storm — Missionary services in the north — Answer to prayer 
— Occasional services — Singular event — Souls saved — Lays the foun- 
dation-stone of Nelson-street chapel, Newcastle-upon-Tyne — Darlas- 
ton conference — Hull camp-meeting — Forty souls saved— Goxhill 
chapel opening — Awful occurrences — Chapel matters — Souls saved 
— Towns' Missionary revivals — Conclusion. 

August the 15th, 1835, I went from Hull to Woot, 
in Lincolnshire, with the purpose of preaching at the 
opening of a new chapel ; but, on my arrival, I found 
that a mistake had been made in the correspondence, 
relative to the day of my preaching, and that the chapel 
was not ready. However, I officiated in an old barn, 
at two o'clock and six of the sabbath, and had soul- 
shaking seasons. This place had obtained notoriety 
for wickedness ; but brother Lamb entered it in the 
name of the Lord, preached out of doors, and was 
productive of much spiritual good to many of its 
inhabitants ; consequently, an offer was made him, 
which was accepted, of the school-room as an occasional 
preaching-house. One morning, however, the parson 



LIFE OF WILLIAM CLOWES. 351 

of the parish, assisted by a rabble, pulled the school- 
room down to the ground ; but, as in some other cases 
of persecution, Satan defeated his own object ; for the 
down-pulling of the school-room ended in the building 
of a neat Primitive Methodist chapel. 

On September the 7th, I preached in our chapel at 
Hull with more than usual freedom, when one soul was 
blessed with pardon ; and when giving tickets after- 
wards to a society, in Holderness-road, I found that 
another soul had received salvation at the same 
service. 

Passing over many services, at which I was much 
holpen of the Lord, in different parts of Yorkshire, I 
hasten to the opening of Lepton chapel, in Hudders- 
field circuit, which took place on November 8, 1835. 
I was very much astonished to find the chapel situated 
in a field by a high-way, and not near any house. I 
feared we should lack a congregation, but was agree- 
ably disappointed ; the attendance at all the services 
was large, and the Divine influence accompanying them 
was weighty. My fellow-labourers, at this opening, 
were brothers Longdin and Verity. I was kindly 
entertained at the house of Mr. North, at Huddersfleld. 
Praise the Lord ! 

At Selby, when on my return from Huddersfield to 
Hull, I met with brother Stansfield, from the Swine- 
fleet circuit, and accompanied him in one of the Selby 
steamers. The weather being rainy, we left the deck 
to take shelter in the cabin. As soon as we were 
seated, one of the passengers asked " Blind William" 
to sing a song. He responded compliantly, and played 
his fiddle withal. When he had finished his ditty, I 
exhorted the passengers to seek heavenly delights — 
Divine merriments. Having thrown among them a 



352 LIFE OF 

handful or two of heavenly fire, I left the cabin and 
went on deck. Shortly brother Stansfield followed 
me, and said, he had never seen such an effect produced 
among a company of people, as that occasioned by my 
recently delivered address ; that all who had heard it 
were in a state of commotion — some crying, " Sing on, 
William ;" others saying, " No, there is a time for all 
things ;" and others, that what I said was right. After 
a while, a soldier came to me, and requested me to go 
into the cabin to help him to sing a hymn. I accom- 
panied him ; and we sang the hymn, containing the 
following lines : 

" Let heaven and earth agree, 
Angels and men be joined." 

After having finished the hymn, I gave a second exhor- 
tation, which was listened to with attention by all 
present, and one woman could not refrain from shedding 
tears. " Blind William," finding that the people were 
not in proper order to listen to his music, bagged his 
fiddle, and withdrew. 

From the last date, till the close of the year 1835, I 
laboured in several parts of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, 
with more or less success. I may remark that on the 
night of December the 11th, or the morning of the 
12th, a fire broke out in my house, which burnt part 
of a bed, and came into contact with a counterpane, 
where, lo ! it was extinguished. How it was arrested 
when in a locality which appeared favourable to its ex- 
tension, I know not. Perhaps He who commands the 
winds and the waves said to the flames enkindled in 
the house of his unworthy servant, " Thus far shall ye 
go, but no farther." 

On the first Monday evening of the year 1836 I 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 353. 

preached in Mill-street chapel, Hull ; and four souls were 
set at liberty. I felt rather exhausted before I began 
the service, having had to let the sittings of the chapel 
during the day. Seat-letting fell to my lot through the 
death of a brother trustee, Mr. Scafe, on whom it had 
formerly devolved ; and I am thankful that my success 
has been abundant. One of the trustees had said, that 
if ever the sittings let for 100Z. a year the chapel 
would do well ; but, thank God, so abundantly have my 
labours been crowned, that I have obtained yearly 
upwards of 1301. 

From the beginning of the year till the March quar- 
terly meeting, I saw the arm of the Lord made bare in 
convincing and converting souls in different places 
where I laboured ; and at this meeting I was glad to 
find that the year's increase of members for Hull 
circuit was 500. Praise the Lord, O my soul ! 

May the 14th, 1836, I commenced my journey to 
Lynn, in Norfolk, to attend our conference. Calling 
at Lincoln, I preached on a Sunday evening, and 
several souls were in deep distress. The religious ser- 
vices of the conference camp meeting were very power- 
ful, especially the processioning through the streets of 
the town, which it was supposed would be interrupted 
by the town's authorities, as one of the police had inti- 
mated to me that such would probably be the case. I 
told the policeman that wherever we held a conference 
we had a procession, and that we fully intended to 
pursue our usual course, leaving the event with the 
Lord. We did as I had said we should ; and the town's 
people were astonished at the order and vigour of our 
movement ; and the multitude that accompanied the 
procession to the camp ground was prodigious. There 
were two preaching-stands ; and, during the day, there 



354 LIFE OF 

were preached thirty sermons, held about thirty 
prayer-meetings, and many souls were converted to 
God. 

Hull circuit's June quarterly meeting commenced on 
the 7th instant ; and a disaffected person caused great an- 
noyance; but rinding the irregularity which he advocated 
successfully opposed, he withdrew from the Society. 
At this meeting the higher salary was allowed to the 
travelling preachers. It was resolved that mine, too, 
should be advanced, though I was unable to take a 
regular station. To this I objected ; but my brethren, 
resolving that I should receive the same allowance as 
if I had been in constant service, were irresistible in 
their arguments and purpose ; consequently, at the 
next quarterly meeting, I withdrew my opposition. 

On June the 12th we held our annual camp-meeting 
on the Dock-green, at Hull. We sang through the 
streets, halting in the market-place, where I gave an 
exhortation ; then processioned to the Green, where 
the word of God was preached to listening thousands, 
with the Holy Ghost and with power. At the evening 
love-feast many persons professed to find the Lord 
Jesus Christ, to the joy of their souls. 

On June 19th I accompanied brother J. Flesher to 
Sheffield, to assist in the opening of a commodious 
chapel in Coal-pit-lane. Brother Flesher preached in 
the morning and evening, and I officiated in the after- 
noon. The congregations were very large and respect- 
able, and as I listened in the morning to the beautiful 
and powerful reasoning of brother Flesher, and wit- 
nessed the effect of his appeals on the large assembly, 
I felt humbled in the dust, and wondered how it was 
that I had ever been received as a preacher, and been 
continued such for more than twenty years. With these 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 355 

views of myself, I fled to the throne of grace, and im- 
plored Divine help for the service of the afternoon. The 
Lord granted my request, and as I addressed the au- 
dience his glory filled the house, and appeared to be felt 
by all present. On the morrow, as brother Flesher and 
I journeyed homewards, I told him what my feelings 
and views were as I heard him preaching on the previ- 
ous morning ; and, to my astonishment, he stated, that 
as he was hearing me in the afternoon, he had just the 
contrary views to mine of my preaching and of his ; 
and that the fear of spoiling my sermon, were he to 
pray after it, induced him to leave the pulpit and retire 
into the vestry, to prevent my asking him to pray. 
Thus the Lord frequently humbles us, to prevent any 
flesh from glorying in his presence, and to show us 
that he who glorieth should glory in the Lord. 

On June 26th I preached at Hull, and in the prayer- 
meeting which followed the sermon, two souls found 
the Lord. Also, I was glad to find some fruit appear- 
ing from our recent camp-meeting. "Whilst giving 
tickets to brother W. Hodge's class, one of his members 
said that she had obtained pardoning mercy on the 
camp ground while I was preaching. 

On Sunday, July 24, I preached twice at the open- 
ing of Hanley-green chapel, and brother Jukes once ; 
when 211. were collected, and several souls professed 
to find the Lord. Also at this place a person who had 
crossed the road to salute me, asked me if I knew him. 
I told him I did not. He said, " Do you not remember 
telling me many years ago to go home, and to say to 
my parents, that if they would not go to heaven with 
me, I ought not to go to hell with them ? Well, I did 
as you wished me, and from that time I started for 
heaven ; and, blessed be God, I have been in the way 



356 T,IFE OF 

thither ever since, during a period of about twenty 
years." 

On the following Sunday I officiated twice at Hull, 
and God confirmed his own word by saving a soul. 
Shortly after this a friend came from Morley to request 
me to go thither and assist at the opening of a new 
chapel. I was interested by the conversation of the 
man, for he told me that through my instrumentality 
the Lord had converted him many years ago. 

October 23, 1836, I was at Fulstow, in the Grimsby 
circuit, aiding in the opening of a new chapel, and here 
the vicar of the parish, who was a hearer, was very use- 
ful as a collector. 

Passing over several public occasions at which I be- 
held the glory of God in the salvation of sinners, within 
the last two months of the year 1836, and the first of 
1837, I may observe, that on the 2nd of February, of 
this year, whilst pleading with the Lord, in my own 
house, in my morning devotions, he came down upon 
me in an extraordinary way, a stream of power flowed 
upon my soul, and the mystery of godliness expanded 
upon my understanding Math uncommon brightness ; 
my heart burned with sympathy for souls, and with in- 
tense affection to my ever blessed Redeemer. 

On Friday, February the 11th, 1837, I left home, to 
journey to Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, on the 
Lord's business. On reaching the former place I was 
very unwell ; but having taken medicine, and been 
kindly treated by Mr. Hudson, I was enabled to attend 
the public services in which I had gone to officiate. 
All those services were good, though we met with some 
annoyance when holding a missionary meeting in the 
town-hall at West Cowes. However, I suddenly left 
the platform, went into the midst of the disturbers, and 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 357 

looked at them in the strength of the Lord, and they 
became confounded and ashamed. At Newport's meet- 
ing, one soul professed to find the Lord Jesus Christ. 

On Friday, the 23rd, and Sunday, the 25th of Feb- 
ruary, 1837, I assisted brothers Harland and E. 
Jeffrey to open a chapel at Newport ; and on the 26th 
accompanied brother Harland to Brighton to make 
some inquiries as to the likelihood there was of its 
being a suitable place at which to employ a mission- 
ary, and the result of our inquiries being favourable, 
a missionary was afterwards stationed there. In our 
homeward journey we were joined in London by bro- 
ther Thomas Holliday, and took a night's coach for 
Hull. The night was excessively cold, and so windy, 
that my hat was repeatedly blown off my head. Fa- 
tigued and weather-beaten, we fell asleep, and lost 
the umbrella, by which we had been partly defended 
from the nocturnal blasts. Glad we were when we 
reached Hull. Experience began to teach me that 
long and cold journeys were exercising a pernicious 
effect upon my already enfeebled constitution, though 
some consolation accrued from the assurance I felt that 
the saving of the circuit's funds, and the promotion of 
the Divine glory in man's salvation, caused me to 
endure them. 

On March the 6th we commenced the business of 
our circuit's quarterly meeting, and found that we had 
had an increase of 510 members during the year, and 
that our financial revenues were sufficient to meet all 
demands : but the most interesting feature of the 
circuit's prosperity was, that in divers parts the con- 
verting work was going on with increasing strength. 
At every public service souls were obtaining pardon. 
I happened to speak to one man about the salvation of 



358 LIFE OF 

his soul, and the power of God instantly fell upon him, 
and he fell upon his knees to pray that the Lord would 
save him, and in about three minutes afterwards he 
sprang into Christian liberty. He then went among 
the people, describing how God had saved Mm, and 
exhorting them to flee from the wrath to come. 

On April 15th I attended a district-meeting at 
Malton, as a General Committee delegate. The meet- 
ing was very peaceable, and the year's increase of 
members for the district was 1298. The weather being 
uncommonly cold, we could not hold a camp-meeting 
in the open air, consequently a continuous service, 
varied with prayer, singing, and preaching, was con- 
ducted in the chapel; and on the evening of the 17th 
instant we held a missionary meeting in the Indepen- 
dent chapel, which was densely crowded ; and a liberal 
collection was made on behalf of our missions. 

From Malton I proceeded to" Morley, in Leeds circuit, 
to preach sermons, and make collections for its Sunday- 
school : and the Lord helped me mightily. Thence I 
came to Hull ; and, hosannah ! the first news I heard 
on entering into my house, was, that at a prayer-meet- 
ing held on the preceding evening, in the vestry of 
Mill-street chapel, the Lord had liberated from spiritual 
bondage, ten souls. And shortly afterwards I read a 
letter from brother T. Holliday, informing me, that in 
the Isle of Wight a good work had broken out, and 
had extended to the stations across the water. 

On Wednesday, May 17, 1837, I went to Sheffield 
to attend our annual conference. The religious services 
connected therewith were much owned of the Lord. 
The procession, which moved through various parts of 
the town to the camp ground, was very large. On the 
ground we had three preaching-stands, where brothers 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 359 

H. Bourne, J. Garner, and myself, had to conduct the 
religious services. The day was rather unfavourable, 
yet the attendance was large and steady ; and the word 
of the Lord was quick and powerful, effecting visible 
good among the hearers. The evening's love-feast was 
conducted by brothers Flesher, Atterby, and myself; 
and we had the pleasure of having penitents praying 
for pardoning mercy, and the bands whose hearts God 
had touched declaring their interest in God's salvation. 
Connexional business, though attended with some 
difficulties, was well executed; and the increase of 
members for the year was 2,971, the deaths having 
been 873 ; and the total number in the connexion was 
65,277. 

On the Sunday following I attended Hull circuit's 
annual camp-meeting, on the Dock-green. It was at- 
tended by about ten thousand persons, some of whom 
were arrested by God's Spirit : and in the love-feast 
which followed, some of these obtained salvation, and 
retired from the chapel praising God for the great things 
they had heard, felt, and seen. 

I beg here to make a digression, by noticing an 
awful event which took place on the third day after the 
camp-meeting. The Union steamer, lying in the Hull 
basin, bound for Gainsborough, with goods and passen- 
gers, was prevented from starting through the explosion 
of her boiler, which caused her to sink almost immedi- 
ately. The scene which was presented in consequence 
of this catastrophe was truly horrible. Oh ! to behold 
the corpses of persons who had been killed, and the 
mangled frames of those who had been wounded, was 
revolting. The body of one man was blown upon a 
roof, three stories high, and several were blown from 
twenty to fifty yards from the vessel, and were found 



360 LIFE OF 

sticking in the mud of the basin, as if wedged therein by 
a sudden and heavy pressure ; and some were drowned 
in the cabin. Several persons were so dreadfully 
wounded, that when taken to the infirmary they died. 
One woman who had been blown from the deck of the 
packet into the water rose in about three minutes with 
her child, which she still held fast in her arms ; and an- 
other woman was found with her head blown off. Luke 
Green, one of our members, who had come twenty miles 
to be present at our camp-meeting, was one of the suf- 
ferers. He was purposing to return home by the 
steamer, and, fearing that he would not reach the pier 
before she started, he had even run to gain a passage ; 
but, ah ! he had scarcely set his feet on board, ere he 
was hurried into eternity. Brother Harland improved his 
death by preaching a sermon to a large and powerfully 
affected congregation, in Mill- street chapel, and good 
was done. One of our travelling preachers, brother 
Dawson, narrowly escaped with a slight wound on his 
arm, and the loss of his hat ; and, but for the interposi- 
tion of Providence, my wife and I should have been 
involved in the awful calamity. She, intending to 
take a journey, had packed her things, and made the 
requisite preparation on the previous evening, pur- 
posing to sail with the ill-fated steamer; and I, as 
usual, intended to accompany her to the vessel ; but 
in my private devotions for the night my soul was 
more than usually drawn out after God. I continued 
communing with him until between two and three 
o'clock in the morning, and therefore overslept the 
time of the packet's starting, and we were hereby pre- 
vented from sharing in the disaster that befel the un- 
happy sufferers. Praise theLord, O my soul ! 

On Sunday, July the 16th, I attended a camp meet- 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 361 

ing at Hessle. In the afternoon, whilst I was preach- 
ing, there came a dreadful thunder-storm with rain. 
The people put up their umbrellas, and I continued 
my address, dwelling on the terrible wrath of God, 
which was in character with the storm which howled 
around. The stout-hearted trembled, and conviction, 
like the lightning that played in the atmosphere, flashed 
into sinners' hearts. In the love-feast held afterwards, 
several sinners were converted to God. 

In a short period after this I went to Barnard Castle, 
to aid brother Joseph Smith and others in missionary 
services, and the Lord helped his unworthy dust to 
labour with success at the services of the sabbath. 
On Monday we sang in procession up the town to a 
particular spot, where, in the name of the Lord, we 
lifted up our banners. Two young preachers addressed 
a large congregation, and I gave an exhortation and 
prayed. Deep solemnity rested on all present, and we 
continued the meeting until the pall of darkness ap- 
proached : then we retired, pondering on the great 
matters in which we had been engaged. The next 
day we held a missionary meeting in the chapel, which 
was crowded ; and for thrilling and absorbing interest, 
the meeting was thought to exceed all similar meetings 
ever held amongst us in the town. We next held a 
public meeting at Middleton, and here Mr. J. Smith, 
the superintendent preacher, told the people that, at a 
meeting held at South Cave, he and I had entered into 
an engagement to plead with the Lord for a revival of 
his work in Barnard Castle branch, and that God had 
answered prayer, as they had had an increase of one 
hundred and fifty souls. Mr. Smith's statement cheered 
me much ; for I recollected that at the time when we 
engaged to pray for the outpouring of God's Spirit 



362 LIFE OF 

on Barnard Castle branch, my soul was wonderfully 
baptized. 

On October the 15th, 1837, and the three following 
days, I attended missionary meetings at Scarborough, 
Snainton, Flixton, and Hunmanby, and they were 
accompanied with the Divine approval. On the 20th 
instant I met the members of Scarborough society, gave 
them an address, and entered into a covenant with 
them to pray for a revival of the work of the Lord. 

I pass over many services to remark, that on Sunday, 
November the 19th, I preached anniversary sermons 
at Sunderland in the morning and evening. In the 
former service my heart was melted into tears, which 
nearly disabled me from discharging my public duty ; 
and in the latter, immediately after the first hymn had 
been sung, I began to preach, having omitted public 
prayer. I was utterly unconscious of this irregularity, 
and might have remained so, had not a friend the next 
day asked me the reason of it. Indeed I should have 
disbelieved that it had taken place, had not the tes- 
timony of several persons rendered it undoubtful. The 
cause of it I leave unaccounted for, as I do many singular 
things which have occurred during my missionary life. 
However, I thank God that the Lord crowned the 
service with the conversion of four or five souls. 

On the morning of the 21st instant I preached a 
short discourse in the house of Mr. Black to his family 
and servants. I was greatly pleased with the order 
and management of this Christian household, on which 
the blessing of God eminently rested. 

On Wednesday morning I proceeded to Newcastle- 
upon-Tyne, where, assisted by brothers Hebbron and 
Towler, I laid the foundation-stone of our new chapel 
in Nelson-street. The day was rather windy, but 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 363 

there was a large concourse of people. In the evening 
we had a meeting in the Music Hall, where several 
addresses were delivered, and a good collection was 
made on behalf of the new chapel. On this occasion 
I was entertained at the residence of Mrs. Coppock, 
who had been lately bereaved of her husband, after a 
very short affliction. She and her family were well 
disposed towards the cause of God, of which they were 
liberal helpers. 

I pass over my toils during the last month of the 
year 1837, and nearly six months of the year 1838, by 
saying merely that I witnessed the salvation of souls at 
divers public services in which I was engaged. In 
June of the latter year I attended the conference at 
Darlaston. The camp-meeting began very power- 
fully ; but on account of rainy weather we were com- 
pelled to retreat to the chapel, where we had six prayer- 
meetings all in full exercise at the same time. It was 
striking to behold each of the different companies en- 
gaged as intently and orderly as if there had been but 
one, and to hear occasional cries for mercy and shouts 
of joy issuing therefrom. Connexional business was 
quietly and readily executed, and the increase of 
members for the year was 2389. 

In a few days after this conference I joined my dear 
yoke-fellows in Hull circuit, to hold our annual camp 
meeting on the Dock Green ; and though unfavourable 
weather confined us in Mill- street chapel during the 
afternoon, yet God's power smote many sinners ; and 
at the evening's love-feast about forty souls were 
converted. 

August the 19th, brother Harland and I preached at 
the opening of a new chapel at Goxhill, in Lincoln- 
shire, I officiating in the afternoon. About the year 
r2 



364 LIFE OF 

1823 we built a chapel in this place ; but having 
become too small, it was taken down, and, instead of 
it, the new one was erected. After brother Harland's 
morning sermon, 71. were collected. I thought this 
amount would not be equalled at either of the following 
services : but, to my astonishment, the afternoon's col- 
lection was 20Z., and the evening's 13/., rendering the 
day's produce 40Z. Nor was this the only result of 
our toil ; for the Lord was powerfully present to bless 
the people who heard us. 

About this time I received a letter from R. I. Shafto, 
Esq., at Bavington, in Northumberland, containing 51., 
with directions that I should apply it to the furtherance 
of the cause of God in any way I thought most im- 
portant : I therefore handed it over to the quarter-day 
board of the circuit, to be devoted to the support of the 
general work. Through the Christian liberality of the 
esquire, I was frequently enabled to transmit donations 
to our circuit. And were we, as a people, more prayer- 
ful and more devoted to the work of God, we should 
have an increase of liberal friends, and should be in- 
creasingly useful in the earth. 

At midday, on Wednesday, the 19th of September, 
1838, a serious matter took place not far from my 
residence. When Mr. M and his wife were enjoy- 
ing a gambol with each other, the latter took up a 
pistol, and, it was said, accidentally shot the former. 
A neighbour, hearing the report of the pistol, and the 
cry of " Murder" uttered by the gentleman's servant, 
rushed into the house of disaster, and there found Mrs. 

M holding her husband in her arms. The dying 

man said to the neighbour, " Oh, Mr. Chaffer, I am 
shot!" and the wife exclaimed, "I have shot him, 
Sir!" Mr. C. found the ball which had been dis- 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 365 

charged lying on the carpet, and another pistol, besides 
that by which the gentleman had been shot, lying on 

the sofa, without a cap. Mrs. M , in explanation 

of this tragical affair, said that she had taken up the 
wrong pistol in a mistake, the truth of which many- 
people questioned. When the occurrence took place 
she had in her bosom two loaded pistols. 

From the testimony of the servant, before the in- 
quest, it appeared that Mr. and Mrs. M. had always 
slept with pistols under their pillows. The jury- 
brought in a verdict of accidental death ; having been 
influenced by the deposition, that Mr. M. had said 
before he died, that he believed it was not his wife's 
intention to shoot him. The affair was mysterious and 
awful ; and what augmented its latter trait was, that 
the parties were gay and fashionable rebels against God. 
And oh ! how awful for such to be suddenly sum- 
moned into the presence of the holy and just God ! 

Another awful circumstance took place, about the 
same time as that which has just been named. The 
Forfarshire steamer, bound from Hull to Dundee, in 
Scotland, was wrecked on the rocks of Fern Island, 
and upwards of forty persons perished. Oh, the 
necessity of being always ready to meet our God ! 

Being appointed to preach anniversary sermons for 
our chapel at South Ferriby, the recollection of some 
chapel affairs, which had occurred at the village, gave 
me pain. At one or two of these I shall briefly glance. 
The first chapel that was built here, being private 
property, was closed against us, and converted into 
dwelling-houses ; and two purchases had to be made of 
the second, before it was rendered connexional. Surely 
it behoves all who promote chapel-buildings, to have 
the land secured to trustees for the Connexion, before 



366 LIFE OF 

a farthing be expended, directly or indirectly, in 
materials for the erection : when this step is omitted, 
Satan and self-interest are almost sure to create 
disturbance in the church, and to load it with needless 
expense, if not wholly to deprive it of its edifice, and 
scatter its members. Care ought to be taken, also, not 
to saddle trustees with responsibilities that cannot be 
conveniently borne. In most cases, if not in all, one- 
third of the outlay ought to be begged, ere a brick or 
a stone is laid. Skilfully drawn plans and estimates 
ought to be secured, and prudently observed ; and when 
the chapel is occupied, competent stewards should be 
appointed to office, who will attend punctually to the 
seat-lettings ; to the proper appropriation of the pew- 
rents and collections ; to the keeping of accounts ; and 
to the yearly auditing and settling of them, &c. 

Here, I may remark, that in the last three months of 
the year 1838, 1 officiated in public services, at different 
places in Yorkshire and Staffordshire ; where the Lord 
crowned my efforts to the salvation of sinners, and the 
edification of believers. At Hull, while at a prayer- 
meeting, I witnessed the conversion of several souls one 
night, and of seven at another, held after I had preached 
in Mill-street chapel. 

As the work of the Lord progressed at Hull, and 
souls were rapidly entering the church, the circuit 
resolved to employ a "Town's missionary;" and 
brother Sansom, from London, was appointed accord- 
ingly, and soon two new classes were raised up through 
his labours. 

Several places, besides Hull, were partakers of the 
soul-saving baptism. Beverley arose in spiritual power, 
and extended the borders of its society ; and Goxhill 
beheld sinners flocking to God's house, to sue for 



J> 



WILLIAM CLOWES. 367 

salvation. How glorious to see the church rising in 
her majesty, and shaking herself from the dust ! O 
Lord, revive thy work. Hasten the salvation of the 
world's population ! " Thy kingdom come." Soon 
may that illustrious day arrive, which will pour its sun- 
light of holiness over our planet ; when " the wolf, 
also, shall dwell with the lamb ; and the leopard shall 
lie down with the kid; and the calf, and the young lion, 
and the fatling, together ; and a little child shall lead 
them ; and the cow and the bear shall feed ; their young 
ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat 
straw like the ox. When the sucking child shall play 
on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put 
his hand on the cockatrice' den ; and when they shall 
not hurt nor destroy, in all thy holy mountain : for the 
earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the 
waters cover the sea." 



THE END. 



Tyler & Reed, Printers, Bolt-court, London. 



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